Charge of the Shadow Brigade
by Jack Borroughs
Summary: Over the course of the summer of 2006, former League Operatives as well as some other individuals fought the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, for revenge, for honor, for freedom. This is their story. COMPLETED. Now with Annotations. Please readchapter26
1. Prelude

**Title:** Charge of the Shadow Brigade, also known as The Shadow MutinyVendetta.** Rating:** 15. For Language, Gore, Brief Sexuality. **Genre:** Action/Adventure/Drama. **Disclaimer: **I own nothing at alleverything comes from a movie, comic, novel ...etc

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**It's the year 2006. The League has been in existence for a century, and much has changed during that century. The organization that once strived to maintain world peace now is responsible for several wars and the development of many devastating weapons. Dorian Gray, the first Agent to betray the league is now its leader, working under the command of a shadowy figure known as Big Brother.**

**Several recruits have joined and left the ranks of the league, those who choose to end their tenure are often assassinated. So far just a handful of former Agents have been able to elude the League, most notably Henry Jekyll and Rodney Skinner, whose lifespan was greatly increased due to their mutations as well as other factors that were the reason of their resentment of the league.**

**Recently, there was a leak within the league in which an Operative was able to escape with a valuable Intelligence Dossier that he intended to sell to competing agencies.**

**This act of betrayal may prove to be the beginning of the end to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.**


	2. Prologue

**_Dublin Airport, Ireland_ **

The custom officer looked at the passport and then at it's holder who stood before, having just arrived from Moscow. The picture matched the face of the tall man who had blue eyes and blonde hair. The officer stamped on the passport and asked,

"Rupert Solomon?"

"I Am." answered the man in a light cockney accent.

"What's your purpose of visit?"

"I'm visiting an old friend."

The custom's officer nodded apathetically then handed him his passport as he was done.

"Enjoy your stay."

"Aye, I will."

The man claiming to be Solomon walked away from the custom's officer and headed to the exit, once he reached the outside he was met with a warm breeze, which was a nice change from Ireland's usual cold weather, he grabbed the attention of a cab driver and got into the backseat.

-----------------------------

_London, England_

In a windowless building, a tall handsome man headed to a certain room on the first floor. He was met with nods of respect from his underlings as he passed them.

"About to meet the boss again?" asked a man whose skin was made or rubber and wore wide sunglasses

"Yes I am, Mr. Cain."

He was about to keep going, but turned around to face Cain.

"I thought I'd made myself clear on the subject of your actions."

"What actions?"

"What you did with a tourist in Cairo right before the Assassination."

"Like you're a saint, Gray. I know about what you did back in the eighteen-hundreds."

"I don't care about who you bugger, If your target had heard about it before you killed him, he would have taken protective measures, and it you would you be in our Morgue right now."

"Alright, chief. Next time I'll do it after I'm done killing."

Gray walked away and headed to a door with the number 101 on it. He stared into a screen on the right of the door and a device scanned his eye.

'Please state your name.' came a voice demanding identification.

"Gray, Dorian."

A beep was heard as the voice check was done and the door opened, he pushed it open all the way and walked in.

The walls were covered with flat screens and there was a leather arm chair in the center of the room on which Gray sat on. He lit a Cuban cigar as the center screen was switched on automatically and a face appeared, that of a strict man in his forties with a goatte, his eyed deep as the pits of hell and spoke with a powerful voice.

"Good evening, Mr. Gray." said the man on the screen in a sophisticated British accent.

"Good evening, Big Brother." said Dorian with respect as he took a drag from his Cuban.

"Some factors have lead to the Marshfield project to be put into action instantly, is the plan operable?"

"My agents are already in position, Sir. Consider it done."

"Excellent."

"I have more Good news, Sir. Mr. Bond in no longer a problem."

"Elaborate."

"You may remember that the Operative James Bond had abandoned the League three months ago, stealing several of our dossiers with him."

"Certainly."

"He was found yesterday morning, Sir. In Cairo, where Mr. Cain of Department 'A' was able to Assassinate Bond and retrieved the Dossiers. Bond's corpse is in our Morgue to validate his identity. Another one bites the dust."

"Had he not sold the files yet?"

"If he did, he would have had enough money to hire some very daunting security to protect him for the rest of his life, when we found him, all he had was a Beretta that jammed and wouldn't fire."

"Be sure to give England's thanks to the Operative you've mentioned. So, I presume all our breaches have been mended?"

"Except for the pitiful Shadows, Sir." said Dorian in a mocking tone of the said 'Shadows'.

"Yes, well, I suppose we should worry more about the cockroaches in our restrooms. That is all, Gray. England Prevails."

"England Prevails."

-------------------------------

Rupert Solomon grinned as he looked upon the traditional Irish pub, he paid the Cabbie and picked up his only bag, then headed in.

Inside, the patrons were watching a Soccer World Cup match, and as the men by the bar tossed back their pints and barked at the screen. Solomon approached a barmaid and asked.

"Evenin' Miss."

"Hello, can I help you?"

"I'm looking for a friend of mine, with the initials H-J. . You wouldn't know who is he by any chance, would you?"

The barmaid looked at him sideways, obviously thinking there was something off about him.

"No, Sir. No H-Jays in here."

"Are you sure? He's tall, thin, British, red hair..."

"Oh! You meant J-H!"

Solomon actually meant H.J., but was willing to play along.

"Yeah, why? Did I say H-J? Sorry, anyway, where is he?"

The Barmaid called for the Bartender, "Oyo, Rick!"

"What?" asked Rick the bartender as he watched the match.

"Did you see Jack? Someone is here to see him."

"He had himself twelve pints last night and had been sleeping it off ever since."

"Twelve Pints!" asked an astonished young man y the bar.

"Yeah, that Harding bloke has a kidney of Iron. I swear he's not human!"

"He must be in his flat, then." said the Barmaid as she turned to Solomon.

"And where would his flat be?"

The barmaid started to grow suspicious about him again.

"Are you really his friend?"

"Yeah, sure."

"How did you too meet?"

"We used to work together."

"When?"

_'Back in the Nineteenth Century'_ Solomon contemplated saying.

"It's been a little while."

"Well why didn't you ask for his name? Why the initials?"

"You know what, I'll be back later." said Solomon as he turned and exited, cursing his luck.

Outside, he pulled a flask of cherry out of his coat and drank from it as he sat at a bench and looked at the bar, above which were a couple of apartments, no doubt did the bartender live in one.

He had an idea, suddenly. So he walked behind the bar and walked up the stairs that lead to the apartments. There were a couple of letter addressed to a 'Jack Harding' by the doorstep.

Looking around to make sure none was looking, he got on his knees and inserted two slim metal instruments and started picking the lock.

As he heard the latch clicking open, he picked up the letters and his bag and walked in like he owned the place.

The flat was obviously that of a carefree bachelor, cups and plates were everywhere, several books were on the floor next to the couch on which someone covered with a blanket slept with a faint snore.

Solomon stood by the couch and whispered, "Henry, wake up!"

Henry or Jack Harding wouldn't wake up, so he pulled the sheet from his face when suddenly a fist burst through the air and hit his jaw.

"Jesus Christ!" said Solomon as he landed on his back, Henry then grabbed a bottle that was nearby and went to attack him when a look of recognition crossed his face.

"Skinner?"


	3. Odd Pints and One Fat Bastard

Solomon stood by the couch and whispered, "Henry, wake up!"

Henry or Jack Harding as he was locally known wouldn't wake up, so he pulled the sheet from his face when suddenly a fist bursting through the air and hit his jaw.

"Jesus Christ!" said Solomon as he landed on his back, Henry then grabbed a bottle that was nearby and went to attack him when a look of recognition crossed his face.

"Skinner?"

"Fuck yeah it's Skinner!" yelled Solomon or Skinner as he was actually named, while he nursed his jaw.

"I'm so sorry, Skinner. I though you were an Assassin!"

"Assassins don't wake up their Target's, Jekyll.. Bloody Hell!"

Jekyll helped Skinner up, so he would get the chance to see him properly, he was as thin and pale as he was for as long as he knew him, only a thick beard was new to him.

"Do you need some Ice?"

"Nah, I'm good."

Skinner and Jekyll locked eyes for a moment, and then burst in a chuckle as they pulled each other in an embrace.

"Henry Boy! It's been Six-Bleeding-Years!" said Skinner as he slapped Jekyll between the shoulders.

"Four, Actually. How have you been?"

"Eh, Surviving."

"When you went missing for all this time I though the League had finally rubbed you off."

"They wish, I had been moving a lot, gathering information about the old firm. I have good news by the way."

"You'll tell me about it later."

"By the way, what had gone with our plan? Our agreement was that we would pick aliases with initials matching our actual names, why did you switch them?"

"Well, there aren't many first names that start with H, there's just Henry, Harold, Hunter, Harry, Harrison, Hal, Horace. So I figured I'd switch the initials to throw the League off. 'Cause J has a much wider range, like John, Jack, James, Jake, Jacob, Jason, Jess, Joshua, Jamal, Jedediah, Judas, Jude and so on. What do you go by these days?"

"Rupert Solomon."

"I like it, sounds suave and legitimate."

"Why, think you, Sir!" said Skinner as he tipped an invisible hat jokingly, "Now where do you keep your spirits?"

"In the cupboard. Better yet, let's go down, we'll have a pint!" said Jekyll as he put on his jacket.

"Or Twelve?"

"Oh, you've heard about, didn't you?"

**-------------------------------------**

"Rick, one more."

Rick the bartender filled Jekyll and Skinner's pint mugs with bear and served them back, as they were the only ones still there at a late hour.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this visit, but what brings you here, mate?"

"I'm here to see a man about some papers." said Skinner as he drank from his pint.

"Papers? What papers?"

Skinner looked hesitant.

"It has everything to do with the league."

"Oh, not this again!"

"Listen, Henry..."

"No one hates the League more than I do, Sk- Solomon. But at some point a man has to know when he's been beaten, and just walk away."

"It's different this time."

"How? Has the League gone weak? Do we now have an army to battle theirs?"

"Just listen, a few months ago a League Operative known as James Bond broke away and took several important dossiers with him.."

"Bond? Is he-?

"Campion Bond's Grandson, yes. For months he hid away but they put a brutal stop to him yesterday. And recovered the dossiers."

"Well, if he has a little of old Bloody Campion then he deserved his end."

"What if I told you I'm about to get my hands on copies of said Dossiers?"

"How?"

"Bond managed to give a copy to another League Deserter."

"Sounds like a sting cooked up by the League to bring down any opposition. You'll be dead before you get within twenty yards of this Deserter."

"That's why I need your help; you can stop all of them if things go to hell. I need you to watch me back."

"Last Call." said Rick as he filled Jekyll and Skinner's half-empty pints.

"I had been suppressing my demons for a very long time, I'm not about to do it knowing this to be a set-up. You should know better."

"Old habits die hard, old son. I am a thief by profession, and moreover I am a thrill seeker, and when I find an opportunity where I can enter a perilous situation with the prospect of certain painful death, only because there is a miniscule chance of me emerging triumphant, and screw over my adversaries royally; when that happens, all I can do is grin like an idiot and do it."

Jekyll didn't seem to buy any of that, because he knew there was more to it, there was a common motive that drove them to do something stupid and impossible.

"And besides all that, I'm going to do it for Becky, and Mina, and Tom, and Nemo, and Quatermain and every crewman who died for a country that sacrificed them in vain."

"Mina." mused Jekyll as he drifted in memory to a brief time in the past, when there was no loneliness, nor sadness, nor despair and all was right in the world for him.

"Well, I assume two gits can die just as easily as one git." said Jekyll as he threw back a colossal dose of bear.

"That's the spirit, Jack Harding."

"We'll see this to the end, Rupert Solomon."

**-------------------------------------**

_Cairo, Egypt_

The tall man of his early forties hailed a cab and adjusted the false beard as it came to a stop.

"Where to, Sir?" asked the driver in Arabic as the tall man took his place in the back seat.

"North," said the man in a foreign accented Arabic, "As far as you can take me."

**-------------------------------------**

Jekyll and Skinner drove through the streets of Dublin on their way to meet their fellow Ex-Leaguer or a _Shadow_ as deserting agents were known to the league.

"You know the feeling in your gut that you get when you realize that what you are about to do is something stupid?" asked Jekyll as he sat at the wheel.

"Panic?"

"Yeah, I'm having one of those right now."

"I'm sure it will subside once the full blown Hysteria strikes."

"Here's for hoping."

They were silent for a short while.

"So, who is this contact? What's his name and specialty?"

"He goes by the code name: Fat Bastard."

"Fat Bastard?"

"Yeah, he's a former Agent with the Ministry of Defense, turned Rogue in the late sixties after leaving the League. He is as his codename suggests, morbidly obese, and quite insane I might add, they say he eats babies or something."

"Sixties? He must be in his seventies!"

"No, he traveled to the year 2002 in 1972, which makes him in his forties. Look, he's an odd bloke all around, so let's just shut up and listen to what he has to say then forget we ever met him."

"Works for me."

Jekyll pulled up as they reached their destination; a restaurant.

It wasn't difficult to know who the Fat Bastard was, because there was a very massive man sitting at a table eating away at several large plates filled with Ribs, Ham and Chicken with sides of salad and garlic bread, the mere sight of him was utterly mesmerizing in the foulest way imaginable. And for moments, Skinner and Jekyll forgot about the possibility that this was a trap.

"Fat Bastard?" asked Skinner.

"That's me, Sonny Jim." said the man with a thick Scottish brogue, "Sit down, lads. Have a little nibble, the veil is excellent here."

"No, thanks."

"More for me then." said Fat Bastard then took a massive bite from a well roasted chicken, "You haven't introduced yourselves yet."

"Oh, this is Jack Harding and I am Rupert Solomon."

"Those are your aliases, aren't they? No probs, I'm not really Fat Bastard either."

"Rrrright." said Jekyll.

"So, what do you have for us?"

"Bond didn't steal a lot, and he didn't give me copies of everything he stole. A bunch of bits and pieces really, former Agents, current roaster of Agents of all three Departments. And some geographic Intelligence, regarding the location of the All Seeing Eye."

"What's the All Seeing Eye?" asked Jekyll.

"I'll explain latter." said Skinner.

"Alright, how much do you want?"

"Well, something like this only comes around once in a century, literally. So there is no price I can put that'll do it justice. So, I'm forced to ask for something priceless."

"Like what?"

"Revenge." said the Bastard and then belched as he finished with his massive meal.

"What?" asked Skinner.

"I want in."

There was a long pause.

"Come again?"

"You were in the League once, weren't you? You hate their guts and so do I."

"Why?"

"I've got me moral reasons; let's just say I wasn't too keen on the role the League played in Vietnam. And when I deserted, I had to have my appearance changed, so I went to a surgeon and asked for a new face, and he gave me that. The tit also screwed with some nerves that have caused me to become very ravenous, hence my current condition. I used to be a real sexy beast, now I'm a fat sexy beast!"

"I'm afraid that's not an option." said Skinner.

"That's not an option, eh?" said the Bastard with a grin, then burst out laughing, "Well think 'bout it, will you, Sonny Jim? I'll be in touch." he said as he got up with ease not fitting with his colossal physique.

"But don't think for too long, or I'll use this dossier to wrap me Ham Sandwiches." he continued, waving a dossier in his hands.

"I think he's for real." said Jekyll as he and Skinner sat in his apartment, discussing their plans.

"How do you figure that?"

"I studied human nature of good and evil for a long time before I created my formula. I know evil when I see it, Fat Bastard may be a Fat Bastard, but he's not about to stab us in the back. Whatever he has in that dossier of his is for real."

Skinner was silent as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Are we going to fight fire with fire?" asked Jekyll suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"What was your plan, after getting the dossier? After you knew who was running the League, who was doing what and to whom, what were you going to do?"

Skinner paused for a minute or so, thinking what was it and picking his words.

"I'm not sure; I had a vision of me and you standing above a pile of rubble, with every League Agent no more a threat. And Shadows like Fat Bastard stepping into the light."

"And you figured we'd do this alone?"

"I see your point."

"What we have to do, Skinner, Is match the League in every department; we have to create something of an Anti-League."

"I follow; But the League has all the resources."

"First and foremost, we agree to Fat Bastard's offer. We will need several assets, have you heard the rumor about Gray being in charge?"

"Yes."

"In that case we'll need someone to match him, someone aggressive and invincible; we'll also need other recruits, such as a Sniper, a computer hacker. We'll also need weapons and equipment, and hence we'll need lots of Money."

"Money is not a problem." said Skinner.

"How so?"

"I invested in a few little companies several years ago and they have flourished."

"What companies?"

"You know, Microsoft, Apple Computers, Fed-Ex, AT&T, HSBC..." recited Skinner with a wide grin.

"Bloody Hell! You're a millionaire you little licker!"

Skinner's smile disappeared as he asked the million dollar question,

"But, who would join?"

"The ones the League can't have. Shadows, those who were damaged by the League, everyone with a score to settle."

Skinner looked at his longtime friend long and hard, then smiled and picked up his phone, dialed a number and waited till the other end picked up.

"Fat Bastard? You're in. Get our Dossier and meet us at the O'Neil pub in downtown."

Skinner hung up the phone.

"And then, there were three."

R&R.


	4. Brick Soliders

The three members thus far of the Anti-League were gathered in the pub, studying the coveted dossier.

"Since were now bosom buddies and partners in crime and whatnot, I should tell you that me real name is Michael McGregor." said Fat Bastard as he took a swig of bear that dripped down his chin and neck.

"Rodney Skinner."

"Henry Jekyll."

They went on reading quietly for a while.

"I always thought it was a folk legend," said Skinner as he clutched a picture of Dorian in his hand, "But it's true."

"Oh, aye! He's been in command of the League ever since the end of W-W-2. He was the one who established the three department structure."

"Let's forget about that Aristocratic prick for a Second and focus on other matters." said Jekyll.

Minutes passed while they flipped though several profiles about men and women with unique backgrounds and skills.

"You know, I don't mean to be one to rain on this Vendetta parade, but it suddenly occurs to me that most Shadows are too scared to join us."

"Most Shadows are smart. This is interesting," said Jekyll as he held up a picture of a hairy man with sharp features, having a general appearance fitting a wolf or a wolverine.

"Who is he?" asked Skinner.

"He has a first name of James, and an alias of Logan." said Jekyll, "He's a mutant with enhanced senses, regenerative healing factor. Has lost memory of ever being in the League."

"He'll be a match for Dorian." said Skinner.

"Look, we already have his location as well; he's staying at a School in Westchester, New York."

"They know his whereabouts and allow him to live on?"

"Sounds very unique, the League probably has hopes of reincorporating him into their ranks." noted McGregor.

"Alright, we'll fly to the states soon."

**--------------------------------------**

Skinner, Jekyll and McGregor walked out of the pub and into the cold night outside.

"This Logan has to accept or offer, he's the only Shadow who can help us and might agree to do so."

"I've arranged for the two of you to fly over there on the first flight in the morning. whether his answer is Yes or no, we'll meet in London." said McGregor as he lit a cigarette.

"We need at least two more recruits," said Jekyll, "A computer hacker and a sniper, and we need a top notch recruit for both, not some over caffeinated Microsoft reject and a Charlton Hesston wannabe."

"You let me take care of that, just make sure the mutant says yes."

**--------------------------------------**

It was an ample room, paintings and photographs decorated the walls, featuring teams of men and women who were Extraordinary. Twenty-five Incarnations of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

At the center of the room was a long meeting table, Dorian Gray sat at it's head, and was joined by Six men and two woman, including Cain. They were mostly in their late thirties to early forties, one of them was wearing a gas mask.

"Gentlemen," said Gray, not considering the Blonde woman wearing sunglasses and the one sitting directly next to him, "Big Brother has several tasks for us in the upcoming month, O-Dep shall be sent to Australia, E-Dep has a brief Assignment in Morocco, and I will be joining A-Dep in Berlin. All these Assignments are integral for the fulfillment of the League's plans for this year. So I need all to refrain from committing any mistakes.

"There have been reports of an Increase of Shadow movements all over the world. Which can only mean some desperate deserting agents are planning a pathetic strike. Some of our operations will aim to stop any preparations to do so that a real threat will never materialize."

"Moving along, Lord Norton Marshfield has announced plans to….."

**--------------------------------------**

_Westchester, New York_

A sign on the mansion announced that the establishment was _'Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters'_.

Youngsters of both Genders filled the green plane surrounding the Mansion, some with odd features ranging from slightly uncanny to brutally monstrous.

"Henry," said Skinner, "There's a bloke over there with blue skin and a tail!"

They walked and headed to the main door, upon entering they saw the interior was very plush and stately, resembling an Upscale University rather than a haven for mutants.

"Can I help you?"

The man asking the question was in his twenties with blonde hair, with Angel-like wings sprouting from Back.

Skinner couldn't help but marvel at the wings, leaving Jekyll to do the talking.

"We're here to meet a Mr. Logan."

"Wolverine? Is he expecting you?"

"I'm afraid not."

The Angelic Mutant nodded in understanding and pointed them to a room and asked them to wait.

Minutes passed till Logan arrived.

"You wanted to see me?"

There was an overall rudeness to his behavior, like he didn't really cared what they wanted and preferred to dismiss them quickly.

"I'm Rodney Skinner; this is my associate Henry Jekyll."

"What do you want?"

The man's bluntness caused Skinner to be a little awkward, so he asked,

"Say, you don't remember being part of a Covert Military Organization in the Sixties or Seventies, do you?"

"What?"

"Mr. Logan," asked Jekyll, trying to ease the confusion caused by Skinner, "We are former Agents of an Organization known as the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and by we, I mean all three of us."

"Let's assume that's true, so what?"

"We need your help."

"Oh, I understand... No. Now get out." said Logan as he pointed to the door.

"Mr. Logan," started Skinner, but Jekyll interrupted,

"It's alright, Skinner, he's not interested."

Skinner stared at Jekyll for a second, then obliged and walked to the door.

"Goodbye, James." said Jekyll as he stood in the doorway.

The mention of the name James dug up some forgotten memories; he could see images in his head of a Snowy country and an old mansion, and someone calling him with the name James.

"What did you call me?" asked Logan.

"James, Mr. Logan, your name is James, or didn't you know that? And by the way, Logan is merely an alias, it's neither your real first or last name." said Jekyll as they kept walking.

"Wait," said Logan, "Who are you two?"

Skinner and Jekyll stopped, turned around and looked at him.

"Were Shadows, just like you."

**--------------------------------------**

"A shadow, James, is a former Agent of League who isn't dead and didn't retire... You were an Agent of them once, just like we were and then you started to disagree with them, just like we did, and then you left, just like we did. Our sources tell us that after your Departure from the League you became involved with a Col. William Stryker and something called 'Weapon X'. The reason you've survived for this long is because they have plans to re-recruit you in later times." said Skinner as they stood in the courtyard beneath a tree as young mutants walked by.

"We don't know your last name or anything else about you, all we know is what you can do, your healing factor, your slow aging process, your enhanced senses, your Alloy Skeleton." said Skinner.

"As a matter of fact, you share something in that area." followed Jekyll.

"You have Adumantium skeletons?"

"No, were mutants, albeit our mutations are self-inflicted. We also are ageless."

"How so?"

"That has to do with something with why we've grown to dislike the league. A mishap that left all our friends dead, and we survived due to only our mutations. Skinner had been cured of his Invisibility years ago, while I had managed to repress my rather monstrous mutation, we have maintained our cellular stability though."

"So what we want is for you to help us bring down the league, when that is done, we'll have access to their Archives, and everything you ever wanted to know about your past will be revealed."

"How many men do you have at the moment?" asked Logan.

"Present company included three. We're hoping to increase the number to seven."

"And you expect to bring them down with seven men?"

"It's not how many men throwing the punches, James. It's whose doing the punching, and where do the punches land. With the proper blow to a vulnerable spot, you can paralyze anyone."

"Look, I appreciate you telling me my real name, but just call me Logan."

"Alright, Logan. In or out?"

Logan looked at both, then at passing students.

"Just to let you know, if anyone of you two or the other ones in with us betrays me, I'll come after you all, and it'll be a bad day al around."

"We'll keep that in mind."

**--------------------------------------**

_London, England_

Logan shook hands with McGregor as they met for the first time after his amazement with him had faded.

"Firm grip, like Iron!" said the big man and laughed like a crazy person, "Michael McGregor, former Agent of the British Ministry of Defense and The Espionage Department of the League." McGregor introduced himself.

"Logan, Mutant."

"McGregor, what's the status with the new recruits?" asked Skinner as they headed to their car.

"I'm having a hard time finding a hacker."

"And sniper-wise?"

"I found about this bloke..."

"And?"

"He's a bit of the fruit-cake, brooding type. They call him The Turkish."

"Why?"

"Because he's from Turkey, no one knows where he trained, or what his real name is. But he's real good, the League tried to recruit him but he turned them down. Some say he fought Soviets in Afghanistan."

"Dandy, let's meet him."

**--------------------------------------**

The Turkish was a man of ambiguous features, he was fair skinned and had black hair and a light beard, he could very easily be though of as European, Middle Eastern or another ethnicity. He was dressed in black and wore black sunglasses and his face was the very definition of 'Dead-pan'.

He and the Anti-League's Leaders met at a street side cafe, one of his hands hid beneath the table while the other held a cup of tea which he sipped from every now and then. He seldom spoke, but when he did he spoke in a British accent with hints of a middle-eastern ancestry.

"Would you like to tell us your name, or should we just call you Turkish?" asked Jekyll.

"Turkish shall suffice." said Turkish.

"Alright, Turkish. Our sources tell us you had rejected the League's offers." said Skinner, "Now, the League is known to offer very seductive payments to their recruits. But you didn't accept. Which means you're either too greedy or hold a certain grudge."

The Turkish was simply silent, and sipped his tea as if he didn't hear anything.

"If you're greedy, we can pay you to exercise your expert marksmanship, I'm prepared to pay half a million pounds," said Skinner, to which the Turkish smiled slightly, a smile that could indicate either being impressed or a scoff.

"And if you're resentful, I'll let you know we plan on demolishing the League."

A scoffing smile then spread across the Sniper's face, followed by a metallic click that caused discomfort for both Jekyll and Skinner; for they knew what was the Turkish's right hand was doing under the table all this time.

"Gentlemen, there's a Silenced Desert Eagle Handgun pointed at your stomachs at this moment. Besides a bullet to the testicles or the kneecaps, there is no worse place to be shot than the stomach. Now, the reason I'm about to inflict such pain is because I don't believe a word you have just said. So, you better start talking fast."

"We told you the truth."

"Why, then?"

"We are former Agents of the League, we've been betrayed by our own government in the past. That good enough for you?"

The Turkish put the empty cup on the table and picked a cigarette out of a pack of Silk Cuts that were on the table, then raised the hand that was supposed to be holding a gun, which was actually holding a metallic Zippo lighter, Jekyll and Skinner sighed in relief as he lit his cigarette and closed the lighter.

"I believed you, but wanted to make sure. You do know this will never work, right? One reason I didn't take them up is the grand rule of marksmanship; Never assume a position that will compromise your safety and escape. Right now, the League is more like a potential ally to me than it is an enemy, if I accept, that will drastically change."

"Well here we are, mad as Arseholes and jouncing for payback. Want to join the parade?"

"Certainly." said the Sniper as he got up.

"Would you still like the half-million quid?" asked Skinner as they walked away.


	5. The League of Injustice

A few days later, the five men moved into a town house in London, just as the active Operatives of the League were leaving the country. The town house stood seven blocks away from the League's headquarters. It had eight rooms, and five were occupied were used as sleeping quarters thus far. A den was converted into a make shift operations center.

A door bell rang and Logan answered the door, the newcomer was an attractive woman with black hair who struggled to lift several bags.

"Mr. Skinner?" she asked in a Russian accent.

"No." said Logan, without continuing to introduce himself, "Who are you?"

"Natalya Fyodorovna Simonova," she said as she extended her hand for a handshake, "I'm the systems specialist."

Back inside, Jekyll and Skinner had noticed what was going on.

"Whose she?" asked Jekyll.

"She's a Russian Computer Systems Specialist, a real good one too. I got her through an old friend." said Skinner.

"And she's joining us, why?"

"Money, I promised to give her tons of it."

"Good god, Skinner!"

"Don't worry, she's squeaky clean."

"I'll see what I can do about that!" said McGregor as he suddenly appeared, grinning as Natalya walked in, with Logan carrying her luggage.

"She's a pretty li'el thing, isn't she? I bet she shags like a minx!" continued McGregor as he watched her from a distance.

"You really are a Fat Bastard!" said Jekyll.

"That's right!" answered McGregor, taking it as a complement.

"Miss Simonova," said Skinner as he shook hands with Natalya, "I'm Rodney Skinner, these are Logan, Henry Jekyll and Michael McGregor."

"Pleasure." said Natalya as she tried to avoid staring at McGregor, "Is this all?"

"No," said Jekyll, "Where is Turkish?"

"Still sleeping." said Logan.

"Very well," said Skinner, "McGregor, go and wake him up, we'll start the debriefing in the den in a short while."

**----------------------------**

In the dark den, a projector was turned on, Natalya, Jekyll and Logan sat at the scattered seats, while Skinner stood by the wall where the light was falling. McGregor and Turkish soon walked through the door and took their seats.

"Most of you aren't familiar with the League," said Skinner, "so I'll begin by explaining its concept and composition."

Skinner clicked on the remote control he was carrying, an image of the first league was projected, "In 1899, Prof. James Moriarty, a scientists and criminal mastermind attacked several European cities, kidnapped scientists and pushed European countries against each other until they were on a brink of a global war, simultaneously, he formed a League of individuals with unique traits to investigate the matter and put a stop to his alter ego, The Phantom. The League consisted of Myself, Dr. Jekyll a Mr. Dorian Gray and some others. As it turns out, Dorian Gray, an Immortal, was a mole working for Moriarty, to harvest our abilities. Long story short, he was stopped, Gray was killed, and the world didn't go to war. Months later, we were officially recruited by Campion Bond of the British government to work under the Special Branch of MI6. Several years later, most of the League was killed in a military operation. Only I and Jekyll survived, as a side effect, out lifespan was extended greatly."

Logan, Turkish and Natalya were surprised at how casually Skinner was talking about the matter and how he didn't care to elaborate.

"Jekyll and I left the league, and a new team was handpicked, Dorian Gray soon resurfaced and joined the League as well."

Skinner clicked on the remote control again and a picture of Dorian was projected, "In the wake of WWII, Dorian becomes the Leader of the League, which has distanced itself from MI6 more and more as the years passed. He established three departments within the League, A-Dep, E-Dep and O-Dep. They handle Assassinations, Espionage and the Occult, respectively.

"Dorian Gray had a portrait drawn of him, and somehow, he is magically immortal, all aging, wounds of all kind, burns are inflicted onto the painting. The first time he was killed was through his exposure to said portrait. How he was resurrected and how is his existence maintain currently in unknown to us. The current roaster of the League consist of,"

Skinner clicked and an image of the dark haired woman from the meeting was shown.

"_Sofie Fatale_, Japanese-French Attorney, Oxford Graduate, for a while was second in command to the boss of the Yakuza Crime Syndicate in Tokyo. She serves mostly in an Administrative role, although not skilled in combat, she is very resourceful and cunning. She has had an arm amputated, the League implanted her with another arm in exchange for her agreement to serve them, she's Dorian Gray's second in command and lover, as it is rumored."

Skinner clicked and an image of the Blonde woman from the meeting was shown.

"_Elle Driver_, master swordswoman and excellent shot, was a member of the notorious Deadly Viper Assassination Squad; she had both her eyes gouged out, several years apart. The League offered to restore her eye sight, using both magic and advanced technology if she would join their Assassination Department."

Skinner clicked and the rubbery visage of Cain appeared.

"_Dr. Sebastian Cain_, scientist once working on a project for the pentagon to achieve invisibility. He was successful and performed the procedure on himself, the transformation unlike the one performed on the simian test-subjects, was irreversible. He went on a rampage, raping his neighbor, killing his partners and was presumed dead after falling down an elevator shaft. He suffers a god complex. He is very intelligent, immoral and dangerous. He is currently a member of the Assassination and Espionage Department."

Skinner clicked and the image of a Hispanic man with long hair appeared.

"_Miguel Bain_, Spanish mercenary and Assassin, very accurate. Supposedly killed a man from the distance of 2.5 kilometers. Assassination Department."

Skinner clicked again, and the man in the gas mask appeared.

"_Karl Ruprech Kroenen_, born in Munich, 1897. Occultist, Assassin, Gestapo Officer, head of the Thule Occult Society. Worked on the Ragnarok project that would have won the world war 2 for the Nazi if the Allied forces hadn't foiled it. He suffers a surgical addiction, his right hand is missing and was replaced by a mechanical one. His heart is missing and was replaced by a clockwork mechanism. He lives on because of sheer force of will. Very resourceful, Very lethal. Active member of the Occult and Assassination Department."

Skinner clicked again, a man of his late forties appeared.

"_Ethan Rayne_, Magician, worships chaos. Was liberated by the League from a US army prison in Nevada to work in their Occult Department."

Skinner clicked again; an image of an afro-American man wearing a suit appeared.

"_Kevin Trick_, a vampire. He is one of few vampires to have ever been resurrected. Occult Department."

Skinner clicked again, another man's face appeared.

"_Sheldon Jeffrey Sands_, formerly of the CIA, was involved in a military coup aimed to overthrow the president of Mexico, but the tables were turned on him and he lost both eyes, then the CIA disavowed him. Just like Elle Driver, his sight was restored and he now works for the Espionage Department."

Skinner clicked once again, the face of a handsome man with short black hair and a chiseled jaw.

"_James Bond, 007_. Great Grandson to Campion Bond. Was a recruit to the Espionage Department before running off with some of their records, copies of them ended up in the possession of Mr. McGregor, and that's how we know what we know. As of recently, he's dead, killed in Cairo by a League Operative."

Skinner clicked once more, and a picture of the League's windowless headquarter appeared.

"This is the League's H-Q. It stands seven city blocks away from here, it contains the offices and the most valuable assets of theirs. It has no windows. It has a backup power station to supply electricity in case of a black out. It is virtually impossible to penetrate."

Skinner turned off the projector and Henry turned up the lights.

"One of the League's valuable assets is the All Seeing Eye; a supercomputer. It monitors the movements of dozens possible recruits around the world, and issues an alarm whenever a recruit is in a situation where he is likely to agree to enlist.

"Dorian Gray takes his orders from a powerful individual known as Big Brother, it is unknown who he is or what position does he assume. Of all League members, Dorian Gray and possible Sofie Fatale is the only one to have laid eyes on him.

Over the course if this summer, we will attempt to blow the League into oblivion."

Skinner paused, letting his words sink in, "Men, we are outnumbered, outgunned and out funded. The League has a small army of competent Agents and Soldiers. Has many skilled Computer technicians, Scientists and specialists. Be certain that some of us will die if we attempt to do this, so unless you're willing to take that chance, I suggest you leave this house."

Not a single movement.

"Our funeral."

**----------------------------**

"What kind of Supercomputer are they using?" asked Natalya as the five scrambled out of the den.

"I don't know." said Skinner.

"Well if you expect me to judge what kind of computer should I get -"

"What's wrong with the one you already have?"

"Nothing, If I plan on hacking into your e-mail account."

"Alright. McGregor, Help Natalya."

"Yessir."

"You haven't hacked into my e-mail account, did you?"

"Turkish." called Jekyll.

"Mmm." mumbled Turkish.

"You, Skinner, Logan and I have our own work for the night."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, we're shopping for the Hardware, Guns, Explosives, the works. We need you to come and judge."

"Alright."

**----------------------------**

Turkish lit a cigarette as he and Logan walked towards the warehouse at nightime, right Behind Skinner and Jekyll.

"Max Zorba is an enemy of our enemy," said Skinner, "He used to be a millionaire, he owned a company that designed explosives and such. The League confiscated his assets and reduced him to a common thug. Seeing as how he can be regarded as sympathetic to our cause, He's giving us a discount, so let's not piss him off."

As they walked in, they were instantly met with the smell of wine and smoke. A few men decked in leather jackets approached them.

"Whose Skinner?" asked a young well built man with a Greek accent.

"I Am." said Skinner.

"We said no company."

"Well you can't expect me to show up in the middle of the night at an arms dealer's doorstep all be my onesies, can you?"

"Fine, whatever. I'll have to search you for weapons."

"Go ahead, but no cupping."

The man ran a metal detector all over Skinner's body, which detected his keys and nothing else. Next was Jekyll, then the Turkish who had to surrender a butterfly knife. Followed by Logan, whose metallic laced skeleton set of the metal detector.

"What the hell?"

"I have several corrective nails in my skeleton." said Logan, which prompted the young man to run one over his bare arm, and when he heard the buzzing decided that he was telling the truth.

"We'll be watching you, so don't do anything funny. He's at the corner."

The man at the corner was of his sixties, heavily bearded and had a build of a man who was a Juggernaut in his youth. He sat at a table, surrounded by armed bodyguards, sipping Greek coffee and taking occasional bites from a Mediterranean dish.

"Mr. Skinner, how are you?" he said in a Greek accent.

"Surviving, Max. Just surviving."

"What do you want?"

"A good woman and a great meal. But I need weapons."

"I suspect that's why you came to me, what do you need exactly?"

"Sniper riffles, Pistols, Grenades. A lot of Explosives."

"I have some Petris and Geldsmachers."

"No, that won't do." said Turkish.

"Excuse me?" asked Max.

"We require Desert Eagle handguns," said Turkish as he began peeking into the surrounding crates, "Ingrams, and a silenced Hampton Carbine or a Tobuk if you don't have that. And fifty kilograms of C4 and remote detenators."

"Who is this guy?" asked Max, not comfortable all of a sudden.

"He's the Turkish." said Skinner.

"You brought the Turkish in here?" asked one of surrounding thugs.

"Why?" asked Jekyll, "Turkish, did you do anything to these nice people?"

"Perhaps, it's difficult to keep track these days. Maybe it's just a Greek-Turkish thing."

"All right, whatever he did, I'm sure he's very sorry." said Skinner, "Max, do we have a deal?"

"Tony, Nick," ordered Max, "Get them what they want. The price is seventeen thousand quid. I need some time to get the C4, but you can get the guns today. And that's the last time you bring that Devil in here."


	6. The Road to the Shadow Mutiny

Natalya walked holding her laptop into one of the empty rooms of the house where she was told she could hook up her computer. Turkish was there as well, he was standing between a table and a window, on the table was a plastic case he was just opening.

The sound of the door closing brought his attention to her.

"I'm here to use my computer." she said, "There are no other working outlets in the house."

"Okay." he said, sticking to his laconic demeanor when not talking about business.

She sat at the corner on the wooden floor by the phone outlet and plugged in her laptop. Cross legged she sat establishing a connection, while the Turkish opened the plastic case which had hollowed segments where gun parts for a sniper rifle would fit. He took them all out, the scope, the barrel, the handel. He pieced them together in a rapid speed then inserted a clip of bullets. Natalya tried to ignore him and succeeded till she heard two consecutive pops that can be only come from a silenced rifle being fired.

She got up and walked over to him.

"What are you doing?"

"Practicing." said Turkish as he pulled the trigger.

"You're firing a gun in the middle of the day out the window in a well populated neighborhood!" said Natalya furiously.

Turkish simply ignored her and pulled the trigger again.

"You're going to kill someone!"

"Rock salt bullets, dear. They shatter on impact."

He gestured for her to use a pair of binoculars on the table, which she did.

"The Balcony across the street," he said, "Third floor. Petunias."

She looked at the indicated bowl of petunias; she then heard a pop following by seeing the bowl shattering and the flower and dirt falling to the ground.

"Now, if we use rock salt against a living target, say; a complete ponce whose mother loved him too much, who doesn't understand the meaning of the word no. Much like the one up the street."

Natalya looked up the street and saw a well dressed young man harassing a young girl as they left a cafe. She the heard a pop and the man fell to the ground, the girl hastily walked away, the man then got up in pain. He wasn't bleeding and only looked shocked.

"He just has a bad day."

"Please never do that again."

"Shoot petunias or ponces?"

"Both."

"That entirely negates the purpose of my presence here." he said, "But alright, I'll leave you alone now."

Turkish rested the rifle on the table and shut the window.

"I didn't mean I wanted you to leave. I'm just not too fond of guns."

"Neither am I." he said with a faint smile.

"A sniper who doesn't like guns?"

"Sniping is different, it's an art. It takes precision, dedication, patience. Besides, Its very much like my original profession."

"What is it?"

"I'm a photographer."

"Impossible!"

"That's what I say to myself sometimes."

Natalya smiled, the Turk was unusually social with her and was contrasting the loner image she had painted of him.

"We haven't been properly introduced, I'm Natalya."

"Turkish." he said as they shook hands.

"I've heard them calling you that. But what's your real name?"

"It's ... Not very interesting, why don't you call me Turkish for now."

He head to the door, saying, "You better get to the kitchen soon, or McGregor and Logan will be done with all the food in the house."

**--------------------------------**

McGregor walked into the kitchen where everyone was having lunch, dressed as a homeless man, his face smeared with dirt and smelling like a week old fish seasoned with vomit.

"Here ye go, Comrade!" he said with another of his mad-man chuckles as he slapped a small notebook before Natalya, who couldn't swallow the mouthful she had because of it.

"What's that?" she asked, trying to keep her food down.

"I hit the League's dumpsters and came up with a list of all computer parts they've used recently. It's your problem now."

"Thank... you." she said then left her place at the island and went to the washroom.

"Welcome, and that's the last time anyone asks me to get into a dumpster!" said McGregor with new gained fury.

"Who the hell asked you to do that? All I said was_ 'McGregor, Help Natalya'_." protested Skinner.

"Christ, I smell like a day old haggis after it's been through a particularly sick elephant!"

"McGregor, we believe you, take a bath now!"

"Seriously, I farted a while ago and it sounded like me arse was saying, 'Frig...in...hell...he...sme...lls!"

**------------------------------------------**

"We need a break." said Jekyll as he was pouring himself a nightcap.

"Come again?" said Skinner.

"Natalya says that to have a remote chance at hacking into the League's mainframe, she'll need a state-of-the-art computer that isn't available in England."

"Where is it, then?"

"She says she can get one in Italy. And I don't think she should go by herself, you know?"

"Whose going to go with her?"

"I was thinking I would. Besides, there is a researcher in Rome who keeps detailed records on all known Immortals, I figured he might be able to tell me how to defeat Gray."

"Italy, huh? Are you sure you want to go?"

"Yeah, why not?" says Jekyll with a smile, he knew what his old friend meant, but still enjoyed forcing him into discomfort.

"Oh, no reason."

"We'll need funds," said Jekyll, "For the computer and bribes to the custom's officers."

Skinner was half ignoring him, as he was watching his friend as he was sipping away hastily at the whiskey in his hands.

"Jekyll, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?" said Jekyll as he poured himself another drink.

"Do you... Nothing. Forget about it, I'll tell McGregor to make arrangements for you two."

**-----------------------------------------**

_Petra tou Romiou, Cyprus_

The tall handsome man lit himself a cigarette as he called for a receptionist at the Grand Hotel he was staying in.

"Yes sir?" asked the receptionist.

"I need to send these papers to London." he said as he lay a Manila envelope on the counter.

"It may take some time to arrive, sir. Wouldn't you rather I faxed it?"

"That's no problem, you may send them by mail."

The tall man then smiled at an attractive tourist as she called for the receptionist herself.

"Do you travel often?" he asked.

"Quit frequently, and you?"

"Oh, I try."

**-------------------------------------------**

Logan lit a cigar and took a sip of his bear as he sat by his open window at night, the windy climate helped him think calmly, taking him back to the years he spent in Canadian small cities where he used to engage in Cage-brawling to make money. Skinner was making calls in the study, Natalya and Jekyll had already left to Italy, McGregor was eating as usual, Turkish was no where to be seen.

He looked intently at the picture of Dorian Gray in his hand, the silky dark black hair, the mischievous shadow of a smile, the fountain of arrogance erupting from the eyes below the trimmed eyebrows. He tried hard to conjure a memory of ever being in the League, but couldn't. He never could force a memory to return, as it would usually happen in the form of dreams or after a serious blow to the head; but that didn't stop him from trying.

He inhaled the smoke ravenously, the truth was he was feeling guilty about abandoning his family back at Xavier's. He couldn't really bring himself to truly socialize with most of the students, but he certainly felt protective over them. He started to imagine a thousand scenarios of how things could wrong back home, while he was here trying to destroy something he was supposedly involved with in the past. He started to think this was all a bad idea, running off with a group of strangers just because they told him what his real name was.

"James." he mumbled to himself, he was sure it was his real name, the psychological power of suggestion had nothing to do with it. As he mumbled his own name he casually gave the briefest of glances to the Picture of Dorian Gray.

Like a cloud, the moment in the past was clear in his hand. _He saw himself and Dorian in some Hotel room. Their clothing and the furniture suggested it was the late fifties._

_Logan's claws were extended for some reason, and Dorian was looking at him in anger and confusion._

_"J-James, w-what are you doing here?" asked Gray with a stammer contrasting his usual arrogant confident self._

_There is something he can't make out, something right in front of him, something with all the significance, but he'll never know it_ because he had lost his footing in his own mind and was unable to remember what happened next or what happened before that. He just realized it could make all the difference if he found out.

Even though he know it is useless, he still tried to wreck his brain trying to remember they following and preceding and full circumstances and nature of that moment of his past, minutes passed as he squeezed his gray brain cells and finally ceme up with a verdict.

"I need a bear."

**-------------------------------------------**

_Two lovers with pale skin and red hair, oblivious to the world around them, lay on a bed in each other's arms, naked under the sheets._

_"Forever?" asked Mina._

_"What?" asked Henry._

_"You will love me forever?"_

_"Yes, beyond both of our lives, till after the last star is extinguished. I will love you forever."_

_She laughs, he kisses her, they make love as they stay in that little Inn in Rome. All is right in the world for brief moments. But bliss lasts for only so long before horror takes over. There is a sickness in the air. And Henry finds out that he has lost what he had held most dear._

Jekyll sat up from bed, gasping for air, tears streaming down his face. Instinctively he looks to his side, in a vain hope that she'll be there, Undead and Sleeping.

Those were the worst dreams, when you dreamt you had everything you ever wanted, then woke up to realize you didn't. It was worse than a hundred nightmare about a thousand demon.

He climbed out of the sheets, crawled in the dark to the fridge and cracked open a bottle of Scotch, then drank from it hastily. Minutes passed. He stoped crying, he starts to calm down and starts to forget about the dream. He continues drinking. An hour and a half later he passed out on the floor.

**---------------------------------------**

Natalya looked at Henry as he sat beside her, hung-over and very cranky. He didn't know her enough to tell her about how his dead wife made him happy beyond all imagination shortly before she was taken away from him by the vicissitudes of fate, so she simply assumed that was the kind of person he was.

They had dealt with the matter of the computer that Natalya needed the day before, they sought out the supplier, purchased it and made arrangements to be held in the cargo hold of the same plane they would be on board when they would return to London. So all they had to do was seek up the researcher in hopes he would have anything on Gray.

By late afternoon, The taxi stopped in front of an old office brick-building on the outskirts of the city. It reminded him of the hospital he used to work in the time before he created Hyde.

He had a brief of thought abut how he missed Hyde the laughed it off, no sane person would ever miss Hyde. It was simply that Hyde was around when things were better. And his departure didn't ease everything else that happened.

They walked into the building and walked up the stairs. It was mostly empty. Save for a few offices with doctor's and the such.

They reached the destination, an office door read:

**Paulo Ceniza**

**Storico**

Which in English translated to: **Paulo Ceniza, Historian**.

They walked in, a bald of his sixties man with a moustache and a pair of glasses was reading an old book.

"Mr. Ceniza?"

"Yes?" he answered with an Italian accent.

"I'm Jack Harding, this is my associate Miss... Nina Simms." said Jekyll, pausing in the middle of his sentence to come up with an alias for Natalya, who appeared to be uncomfortable with that act.

"I need some information."

"Regarding what?"

"A certain individual" said Jekyll, "An Immortal, Dorian Gray."

Ceniza nodded in understanding.

"I'm familiar with that name, had a portrait-"

"I'm already familiar with how he got to become immortal, I'm more curious on his current status and how he is able to go on, years after he supposedly died."

"Well, there has been much speculation, but it's probably still linked to his portrait. I had met him many years ago and he mentioned the portrait is still in his possession. I have some articles written by numerous experts, I'll get them for you."

Ceniza walked into a room and locked the door behind him, leaving Jekyll and Natalya alone.

In the privacy of his office, the Historian dialed a number hastily and waited till a gruff voice answered.

"Prunto?"

"Ceniza. Coda 1-9-3-6-I-H-V."

"I'll patch you through." said the voice in Italian, a clicking sounds was heared followed by someone saying,

"Ceniza, What is the matter? Have any of your charges died?"

"No, a Shadow Operative is in my office."

"Are you sure it's a shadow?"

"Yes, he's asking about Dorian Gray. He says his name is Dr. Jack Harding, most likely an alias. I don't remember his real name, but I'm sure I saw his face in one of the Shadow bulletins."

"Alright, try to stall. A unit will arrive within a few minutes."

**------------------------------------**

Skinner gathered his compatriots and issued his orders as certain factors caused him to decide to start operations instantly.

"I have Jobs for you," said Skinner who then turned to Turkish and Logan, "I need you two to do a hit."

"What is it?"

"A White-collar League Employee, It mustn't look like an assassination."


	7. Begins

Paulo Ceniza stepped out of his private office, trying to look calm and not alarm Jekyll and Natalya. He smiled for no reason.

"The file?" demaded Jekyll.

"What?"

"You said you were going to get a file."

"Oh, I couldn't find it. I must have tossed it out or something a long time ago."

He regretted saying that, because it sounded false and it would drive them to leave too quickly.

"But I do remember what I had read about him."

"Go on."

"Would you like some tea?"

"We don't mind."

"Earl Gray?"

"Sure."

Ceniza went to prepare the tea; he slipped a small pinch of powder into their cups. He continued to talk as he prepared the tea,

"Alestir Crowley mentioned in one of his books that Gray was alive during the nineteen-thirties, although not in full capacity, which is to say he could be injured and it took some time for him to be fully immortal again. As did several other Occultists. In all cases Gray was discrete on how he managed to be resurrected."

Ceniza served them their tea, but neither of them took a sip of it. And in a sudden flash he remembered the name of the man that sat before him, it was Dr. Henry Jekyll.

"However, one incident worth noting is that he was spotted at least once in the company of Grigori Rasputin; the notorious Russian monk and advisor to the Romanovs. Since Rasputin is also said to be an Immortal and was resurrected several times, it is possible that he had a hand in resurrecting Gray. What is your interest in it, Doctor?"

None of it was entirely accurate, Ceniza was making it from rumors he heard and bits of information he had and from his imagination. He held his breath as Jekyll was about to drink from the coffee.

Jekyll froze in the last second. Ceniza called him Doctor, which was quite the oddity since he introduced himself simply as 'Jack Harding'.

He took a whiff of the tea and detected the odor of something foreign, sleeping powder.

He looked to his left and saw as Natalya was raising the cup to drink from.

"Put the cup down, Natalya."

Natalya was confused but obliged as she intuitively figured out what was going on.

"Is anything wrong, Mr. Harding?" asked Ceniza, trying to be calm.

"Not in the least."

Jekyll went to the window and opened it, there was a black car parked outside with some armed men stepping out of it. He turned back to Ceniza.

"Who do you work for?"

"What are you-?"

"Drop the act." barked Jekyll, his voice filled with fury, "You now who I am. I never told you I was a Doctor."

He put his hand into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a revolver and pointed it at Ceniza.

"Who do you work for?"

"I work for the League," said Ceniza as he realized Jekyll was on to him, "Those men outside are field Agents of the Italian branch of the League, they're here to arrest you."

"Is that so?"

"Resistance is pointless."

"Is there another way out of here?" asked Natalya.

"Do you think I'd hel-" Ceniza was saying, but Jekyll shot him in the arm before he could finish and the historian screamed in pain.

"Not without strenuous persuasion."

"You bastard!" cursed Ceniza as he clutched his arm in pain.

"Is there another way out of here?" asked Jekyll, Natalya was repulsed by the whole situation and peeked out the door to see if the Agents have arrived or not.

"There is... but it's insane to-"

"Let's go then."

"No, I won't!" said Ceniza through gritted teeth.

Jekyll squeezed Ceniza's arm above the wound.

"Yes, I will!"

Turkish adjusted his sunglasses as he walked towards the car in a practically empty part of the city, parked near a cigar shop. A bodyguard was standing outside the car, and he knew another one was inside the cigar shop with their main target. He nodded at the bodyguard as he passed besides hi then pulled a Desert Eagle Handgun out of his pocket and shot him in the chest, then twice in the stomach and the arm to make it look less professional.

The bodyguard fell to the ground in a heap. Turkish turned to the car and kicked it forcefully till its alarm started up.

Inside the shop, the bodyguard and the target heard the alarm and knew something had gone awry, so they escaped through the back door, but as soon as they stepped into the back ally, they lost their balance and fell to the concrete ground.

The bodyguard felt the ground and raised his gloved hand and could feel something slippery; liquid soap.

A figure towered above him, he pulled out his gun and shot it, but not before it managed to thrust some blade into his chest.

Logan's wound healed as he stabbed the bodyguard several times. The target got up and raised the bodyguards against Logan, and was about to pull the trigger when several bullets pierced the air and plunged into his back.

Turkish walked up the ally towards Logan and they emptied the target and bodyguard's pockets of wallets and valuables, leaving a single library ID in the target's pocket. They also took their watches and hurried back to the car, where they shut the alarm and drove away as police sirens were heard in the distance. Upon their arrival they will find three bodies riddled with bullets and stab wounds, with their valuables and car gone, it would look like a successful robbery, hopefully.

The Agents appeared up the hall as Natalya, Jekyll and Ceniza stood in the elevator which's doors were closing. Jekyll fired the five remaining bullets at them to buy time while the doors closed, the pistol clicked empty just as the doors were shut.

"They could drop a grenade from above." said Jekyll.

"They can, but it won't do any harm, this elevator is very resistant." said Ceniza as he pressed the buttons of the elevator in a special sequence.

"What you said about Gray-?" started Natalya.

"Complete Rubbish." said Ceniza as he clutched his bloody arm, "No one knows how is Gray is alive, there is only one thing I know for sure, a British Occultist Circle by the name on the Order of Ancient Mysteries are the first to spot him since he was killed in Mongolia."

There was a pause as the elevator descended.

"What is this place?" asked Natalya.

"An Archive, one of many that the league has."

"Where are we going?" asked Jekyll.

"The pits of Hell."

Albert Wheeler, a very obese brown haired man and a back-up Employee of the League heard the doorbell ringing and went to answer it. He barely had any time to be confused when he saw the man in the gas mask, because he soon was sprayed with sleeping gas that caused him to pass out instantly.

Skinner walked in and opened the window, he waited till the gas was dispersed then took off his mask just as McGregor walked in himself. His face matching that of Wheeler's through the use of makeup and some prosthetics applied by Skinner.

"Oyo, Skinner." said McGregor as he touched his new visage lightly, "Where did ye learn to this sort of thing?"

"I used to be invisible; I learned to apply makeup so that I would have a face."

Skinner and McGregor dragged Wheeler into his bedroom and locked him in.

"The dose of gas he took will leave him sleeping for a good ten hours." said Skinner as he searched the apartment for certain items.

"Are you sure it'll work?" asked McGregor.

"He comes in every once in a while, about seven times a year. They won't notice if he looked or sounded slightly different."

Skinner found the Wheeler's wallet, watch and name tag. He then pressed the button on Wheeler's answering machine and his outgoing message started playing,

_'Hello. You've reached Albert Wheeler's residence. I'm not here at the moment, but if you kindly leave your name, number and purpose of this call after the signal, then I shall try to get to you in due time_. **-BEEP-**'

'_You have no new messages_.** -BEEP-**'

The voice was in a sophisticated and rather pompous tone.

"Can you imitate him?" asked Skinner.

"Why, certainly, Master Skinner. I shall be quit convincing while I engage in this perilous task and hopefully be successful if piggies sprout wings."

McGregor's imitation of Wheeler was very good, with an identical accent and a remarkably similar voice. Skinner was impressed and his face failed to keep that hidden.

"I used to be a spy, Sonny Jim." said McGregor in his usual lude Scottish brogue, "Don't make me scrape yer jaw off the floor."

"Alright. Logan and Turkish killed the league's usual employee thirty minutes ago, by now the police should have collected the body and identified it, the league knows about it and will be calling very soon to ask you to come in."

"I know, and while I'm there, I'll maintain minimal contact with everyone else and take pictures of the bathrooms and the halls and the plants and the cafeteria and..."

"Just the vital locations, McGregor."

The phone then started to ring, the two of them stood silently while the answering machine picked up the call,

_'Hello. You've reached Albert Wheeler's residence. I'm not here at the moment, but if you kindly leave your name, number and purpose of this call after the signal, then I shall try to get to you in due time._ **-BEEP-**'

"Mr. Wheeler?" came a woman's voice through the phone, "This is Sofie Fatale, we need you to come in today."

_'You have One new message. -BEEP**-**'_

Skinner looked at McGregor and smiled smugly, saying,

"Timed to perfection. I also used to be a thief."

As they reached their level of destination, Jekyll and Natalya realized that the description of the sub-level as the 'Pits of Hell' was not a gross exaggeration.

The place was a space with some surgical tables in the center and many cells on each side, housing the things hellish nightmare are made of. The entire place was filled with a sickening odor of them.

They were demons, mostly. Some looked like the average medieval renditions of demons with horns, tails and hooves. While others looked more mundane, almost human if it weren't for their odd complexions, forked tongues or glowing eyes.

"This is a Demon research facility. These are all demons." said Ceniza, stating the obvious, "Funding was reduced so now it's a zoo for demons of rare species, housed here till the League finds a use to one of them. Some of the prisoners are human; the League keeps them here till they go mad then commits them into an asylum they run. It usually takes a few weeks to do that."

"Ceniza!" called one of the demons, a massive horned ape-like beast, "Give me the wench! Give me the wench and depart from these parts. I'll rip her to shreds and feast on her legs!"

"They get fed ten times a week to keep them relatively weak, and spend all the time in these cells since their incarceration. They haven't seen a woman in ages."

"That's nice and all, but let's get out of here."

They kept walking on, trying not to pay any attention to the monsters howling at them.

They reached the end of the walk and faced a door, and just as they were ten feet away from it, the door opened and one of the armed men appeared.

Jekyll pointed the barrel of his empty revolver which he still had at Ceniza's head as he wrapped an army around him.

"Back off or I'll shoot."

Jekyll was laughing inside his head, he knew it wouldn't work; he knew what was going to happen and almost yawned as it unfolded and the armed man shot Ceniza in the chest. Jekyll pushed Ceniza's corpse forcefully at the League's Agent and jumped aside, pushing Natalya down as well and they both took cover behind a table.


	8. Hellraising in Rome

Jekyll pointed the barrel of his empty revolver which he still had at Ceniza's head as he wrapped an army around him.

"Back off or I'll shoot."

Jekyll was laughing inside his head, he knew it wouldn't work; he knew what was going to happen and almost yawned as it unfolded and the armed man shot Ceniza in the chest. Jekyll pushed Ceniza's corpse forcefully at the League's Agent and jumped aside, pushing Natalya down as well and they both took cover behind a table.

It would only be seconds, fifteen by the most optimistic estimation before the Agents would get to them, and so desperate measures had to be taken posthaste.

There was a lever on the side of the table, Jekyll pulled it and a cell could be heard being opened. Something rushed out of the cell and attacked a guard or two who screamed in agony before others unleashed their machine guns at it.

The opportunity was precious, as the demons had gotten into a frenzy which distracted the Agents that had poured in, Natalya and Jekyll got up and ran to a door in one side of the place that would provide precious shelter.

Bullets were fired at them but none hit their mark. Jekyll pulled a lever down as they dove into the room and shut the door behind them.

**------------------------**

Skinner drove a rental car and followed McGregor as he left incognito to take Wheeler's place in Wheeler's car. He pulled up the street from the League and observed from a distance.

McGregor picked up his briefcase, and walked into the front gate where a guard compared his face to his ID picture, followed by a series of ID scans for his eyes and hands which he passed due to his added prosthetics.

Finally, he was allowed to walk into the building. And he went on to Wheeler's office. Where Sofie Fatale, a tall, attractive dark haired woman of he late thirties was waiting for him.

McGregor resisted the urge to hit on the woman, and shook hands with her, doing his best impression of Wheeler.

"Mr. Wheeler," said the woman, "Mr. Thornton was shot today, in a robbery."

"Dear God!" said McGregor, "Is he going to be Okay?"

"I'm sorry I wasn't clear, he was killed."

"Do they know who did it?"

"The police have some suspects. Anyway, If you would agree to it, we would like you to assume all of Mr. Thornton's responsibilities."

"Certainly, Madam."

Fatale looked intently as McGregor, paused for a little and said,

"Upon his return, Mr. Gray will require to meet with you."

"Anything for Mr. Gray, Madam."

**------------------------**

Some demons spilled out for their cells for what seemed like ages, some of those who escaped lunged at the Agents and showed them real hell and unimaginable pain, while other freed whoever was left, the screams of the Agents echoed and reached the ears of Jekyll and Natalya.

"Oh my god!" said Natalya, "What have you done!"

"I saved our lives for now." said Jekyll, inside his own head something was telling him they deserved it.

They were both in a dark office of some sort, which apparently wasn't used very often. At one side was a barred gate leading into a pitch black space.

The screams started to fade, so Jekyll pushed whatever he could to barricade the door and stood with his back to the barricades to add some more resistance.

The Blows to the door started, the wood began to crack and the gleeful howls started to grow louder.

Natalya found an axe mounted on one of the walls, she handed it to Jekyll who clutched it while looking distant, as if though he was thinking of something far more serious than defending their lives.

"Henry..."

He looked at her said, "Natalya, I don't know you that well, but I have to ask you to trust me."

"What? I do trust you."

"You think you do, but you don't really know me. Right now I'm going to do something..."

A demon stuck his forked tongue through a whole in the door, Jekyll twisted out of it's way.

"I'm going to do something very odd," continued Jekyll, "It will be one of the strangest things you might see in your life. But you have to trust me when I tell you that I have to do it, for both our sakes. And please, don't run away."

He handed her back the axe.

"Okay." she said, without a clue about what he meant.

Jekyll shut his eyes and started to breathe heavily, veins started to bulge in his forehead and then he his eyes shot wide open, they had went from being green to hazel, somehow. He stepped away from the table, walked calmly, Natalya though he looked like another man, the way he walked and the calmness with which he was dealing with the situation were not like the Jekyll she knew.

Jekyll gestured for her to step away, a demon was looking through the hole in the door, Jekyll raised his middle finger at him in an obscene gesture and then, with one extremely powerful motion, he shoved the barricades aside.

The door came crashing down and a demon rushed in, his forked tongue hanging out of his moth like a hound. Jekyll literally put his fist through the demon's head and tossed him aside then burst to the outside.

Natalya didn't know what was going on, but it appeared that Jekyll's physique was changing, he grew taller, more muscular, even his hair changed and very soon he was in the size of a massive gorilla.

Natalya re-barricaded the door and held her axe high in case Jekyll - or whatever it was out there that used t be Jekyll - couldn't hold them back.

Strange sounds started to sound, a loud echoing laugh, animalistic cries, followed by a gruff voice saying, "AND YOU CALL YOURSELVES DEMONS?"

"Hey!"

Natalya turned around, looking for the source of the call.

"Oy, Axe-Girl!"

It was coming from the barred gate, she could see a figure moving in the dark space that lay beyond it.

She switched a light on the wall and the office was filled with light, she could see who it was that was talking with her.

"Yes, you! I'm talking to YOU!"

He spoke with an Australian accent and looked strange, but was generally unantagonistic.

He was a prisoner. He was thin, looked to be in his late twenties and only five feet-seven inches tall. His feet were bare and he only wore a pair of dirt brown trousers and a white straightjacket. His sandy brown hair and beard were long and unkempt. It was obvious he was locked in here for a very long time.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm.."

"Not from around here, are you?"

A sound that can only be described as similar to that of a lion being set on fire was heard followed by Mutant-Jekyll's blood curdling growl.

"What the fuck was that? What's all the ruckus?"

"The demons, they've escaped."

"Great, they're going to kill us." said the prisoner who seemed more annoyed than worried, "You've got to help me out of here."

"I can't."

"Sure you can, you just-"

"You're a demon!"

"Do you see any horns?" said the prisoner, "Do I have a forked tongue? Do I look intimidating in anyway, straightjacket aside? No. Because I'm perfectly human. They locked me up in here so that I would go insane and nobody would believe that evidence I had on them."

"But-"

"Please!" the prisoner begged, "I've had this itch on my back that I couldn't scratch for five years! You've got the axe. I'll even keep the jacket on."

She started to walk away.

"I know the way out!"

It was too tempting to decline, so after a few moments of hesitation she turned to him and said,

"How do I get you out?"

"There is a key on the opposite wall, use it on the hole next to it then pull the lever."

She did as was instructed.

"Now, use the same key to open the gate."

Again she did as he said, and just as the lock clicked open, a series of thoughts rushed through her head.

_"Some of the prisoners are human, the League keeps them here till they go mad then commit them into an asylum they run." said Ceniza._

_"...I'm perfectly human. They locked me up in here so that I would go insane..."_

_"Please!" the prisoner begged, "I've had this itch on my back that I couldn't scratch for six years!"_

_"It usually takes a few weeks to do that." said Ceniza._

Natalya looked up as she understood it was all a bluff.

"Yo-" was all she managed to say before the prisoner forcefully pushed the gate open, which in turn knocked her down.

Calmly and smoothly he walked out of his cell and stepped with his bare foot on her arm that was holding the axe to restrain her movement.

She saw his torso twisting in odd ways, and heard bone crackling and shifting and being dislocated without any sign of pain.

Finally, his arms were free, but he kept the straightjacket on. He scratched the back of his neck, moaned and laughed.

"I've been waiting for years to do that."

He stretched his arms out and grunted. Natalya was trying to escape from under his foot but couldn't, as he chuckled she could see he had long white fangs.

He bent and tore the axe from her grasp, then removed his foot from her arm.

"Sorry about that, Miss." he said as he offered an arm to help her up.

She was soon able to stand upright and look the prisoner in the eyes.

"If I give you your axe back, will you place nice?" he asked.

She nodded in approval, so he gave it back to her and turned his back. The sounds from outside had died, Jekyll's laughs no longer echoed and no demon was yelping in pain. Natalya raised her axe and aimed at the back of the prisoner's neck, but as it came down he got out of the way and took it away from her.

"That's not playing nice."

His voice was empty of fury and he seemed oddly content. He swung the axe into an iron cabinet and it opened. He reached in it with an arm and took out an oriental looking sword, an Indian Tulwar to be precise.

"Now we both have sharp objects," he said as he handed her axe back again, "Let's not fillet each other before were out of here."

**------------------------**

Hours passed while McGregor sat in Wheeler's office, pretending to getting some work done and reviewing reports brought to hid door by several underlings. He started to feel some panic as the severity of what he was doing suddenly struck him. He was in a building that was the base of operations of his enemies. Plastic surgery and putting on all that weight had transformed his features. But there was the outside chance that someone would recognize something about him.

When enough time had elapsed, McGregor stepped out of his office.

Albert Wheeler's position allowed access to almost every League section, and McGregor exploited that fact to full extent, he took pictures of critical areas with a camera concealed in a lighter that Skinner gave him.

From a distance, Sofie Fatale was starring at him.

"Something is off." she thought.


	9. Martyr

"You're saying it was your friend who did this?" asked the prisoner.

"It wasn't him. I mean it was but he wasn't his normal self." answered Natalya as they walked through the carnage that Jekyll's alter-ego had created, neither Jekyll nor his alter ego were to be seen anywhere.

"If you don't work for the League, then who do you work for?"

"Against it."

"Why?"

"It's complicated."

"I'm sure it is, how else would you end up in an underground Demon Research Facility talking with a Vampire?"

"You're a Vampire?"

"Of course I am, what did you think when you saw my pearly whites?"

They kept walking on silently, attempting not to step on anything. Then suddenly, a demon's carcass came back to life. It hissed like a snake and made Natalya flinch. The prisoner aimed his sword at the Demon's neck.

"Where did the big bad go?" asked the prisoner.

The Demon answered in some obscure language. The prisoner severed his head, putting him out of his misery.

"What did he say?" asked Natalya.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I think he said he changed back and escaped through the watermelon."

"He escaped through a watermelon!"

"I said I wasn't sure."

The two walked on through the doors that hid the way out. They saw a few guards brutally killed as they walked through the dark corridor. Eventually they climbed a staircase that lead to the outside where the sun was just sinking beyond the horizon. In grass clearing, Jekyll lay on the ground, his clothes in shreds and obviously in pain.

"There he is." said the Prisoner, "Well, Minsk. It's been a pleasure, goodbye."

"You can't leave us like this!"

"Oh, but I can. And I am."

"You have to help us get a car or something." said Natalya.

"Look, Minsk. The deal was you spring me out and I'd lead you out. Nobody said I'd have to carry your boyfriend or -"

"He is NOT my boyfriend!"

With a cry, Jekyll suddenly sat up.

"Fucking Hell!" cursed the Prisoner.

"Oh my Friggin' Head!" Jekyll grunted as he rubbed his temple.

"Jekyll. Are you alright?"

"I'll survive." said Jekyll as he stood up with difficulty, "Who are you?" he asked.

"I used to be locked up in there, since 1998." said the Prisoner.

"What's your name?"

"Judas." said the Prisoner with some hesitation.

"THE Judas?"

"No, silly! Some other Judas. Judas Kemp to be precise. Also known as Judas Baboon and more commonly as Jude Kemp."

"I'm sorry, it's just meeting Judas Iscariot isn't unlikely to happen for me, I'm that kind og guy, really."

"I bet you are. Jekyll, was it?"

"Yes, this is Natalya."

"Alright, I don't think any of us will be able to make it back to the city on our own. So, for the time being, why don't we stick together?"

They started walking to a nearby highway.

"You said you were locked up for Eight years?" asked Jekyll.

"Yes. And let me tell you something, Jekyll. I certainly want, nay, I need a warm shower, a decent meal, some fresh clothes and a one night stand." said Judas then turned to look at Natalya and continued with a suggestive grin, "Care to supply any of the above?"

Natalya slapped him across the face.

"I guess not."

**---------------------------**

Skinner watched from a distance, still inside his car while a black car pulled up by the gate.

Intrigued, Skinner raised a pair of binoculars to his eyes and looked at the man walking out of the car. It was Miguel Bain, the Spanish Assassin.

"Fuck." cursed Skinner, he was informed that all Operatives would remain abroad for a while, but it seems the Hit man had finished his assignment rather abruptly. Skinner started the car and drove off.

**---------------------------**

Judas stepped out of the shower, his hair cut to neck-length and his beard shaved off, leaving only a somewhat ugly moustache. Jekyll was sitting at the bed in a room that he had got for Judas back at the hotel.

"I brought you some clothes." said Jekyll as he tossed the vampire a plastic bag filled with some clothes.

"Thanks, Squire."

To Jekyll's resentment, Judas preceded to get dressed in front of him without an ounce of shame.

"Say, Jekyll. Where do you go from here?" asked Judas.

"London, my work here is done. You?"

"I haven't figured it out yet. Wherever my Vendetta takes me."

Room service arrived with an Order of spiced ribs which Judas started to eat in a rapid speed.

"Out of curiosity," started Jekyll, "But aren't vampires supposed to be unable to eat food?"

"Different strokes, Governor. Other vampires can fly, survive in sunlight and turn into bats but are harmed by holy water and religious paraphanilia and can only taste blood. My kind on the other hand can taste spices and meat. Our strengths are different as well."

"How so?"

"We're strong but only in comparison with humans, we're generally faster than other vampires. We can cling to walls."

"And by "We" you mean who?"

"My tribe," said Judas, "The not-so-proud Kemerpies hailing from god-knows-where but we had lived in the Australian outback for years. There are about one hundred and twelve vampiric clans and tribes, you know."

"And how did you end up in prison?"

"There used to a civil way during the nineties between Vampire Clans. Believe it or not, our side nearly won, through cheating and treachery of course but we nearly won nonetheless. Then along comes these two Vampires, Kakistos and Mr. Trick; they called themselves. The first was the oldest living vampire and the second was his right hand man, who in reality had all the brains."

"Trick; you said?"

"Yeah. Anyway, they had the League on their side at the time and the two of them managed to exterminate my entire clan, they left me alive to grant to the League to keep in their zoo."

"So, when you say Vendetta you mean against... ?"

"Kakistos and Mr. Trick. I would go after the as well League if I could or if I was off the rocker."

Jekyll chuckled.

"What's so funny?" asked Judas.

"What would say if I offered you a chance for revenge against all your enemies, and six people with equally determined minds to help you?"

"What would I have to do?"

"Join us in London."

**-------------------------**

McGregor had finally collected all he had came for, and it was time to make a hasty escape.

He walked down the stairs, finally reaching the ground level, he headed to a back area where Employees were known to step out for cigarettes. From there he could escape once he got there, if no one was looking, which wasn't the case.

Two techniciens were sitting, they offered him a slight smile as he took out a cigarette and lit it with his lighter-camera. He stood smoking and waiting for the

They were having a conversation, and he was naturally eavesdropping He heard mention of 'the Eye' and how it had needed manitenance. Their cigarettes were soon done and they headed back in.

It was too tempting, to get some intelligence on the All-Seeing-Eye supercomputer was too much to resist.

He silently followed them, but soon found Sofie Fatale blocking his way.

"Miss Fatale," he said, playing coy.

"Who do you work for?"

Somehow, his cover was blown, and he had no idea how.

"Mr. Wheeler had an aversion to smoking, that's something you should have known."

McGregor suddenly realized that four guards were surrounding him, each armed with a submachine gun.

"Who do you fork for?"

"I'm a Shadow, you Evil Wench."

McGregor shoved Fatale into on of the guards, the punched another in the jaw and tore his gun away, shooting the third then the fourth before anyone had the chance to react. He slammed the gun into the second guard's face then retreated back to the exit as Fatale took hold of a guard's gun and fired at him to no avail.

**--------------------------**

Skinner got out of the car to scold the man who had collided with his car.

"Who the guck taught you to drive, Ray Charles?" said the man.

"What are you talking about you little wanker, you were on the wrong lane!" retorted Skinner.

The argument went on for a minute before Skinner heard gunfire in the distance. So he got back into his car and yelled at the man,

"Move your car, I won't press charges."

"Of course you're not, because it's your fault!"

The man was clearly not going to let go, so Skinner put the car on reverse and hit the gas, after retreating for about twenty meters, he shifted back into drive and floored the gas, and rammed the other man's car to make way for himself.

**--------------------------**

McGregor struggled to keep from passing out as several years of over eating had, drinking, smoking and stressful living had taken their tole, his arteries were sounding their objections at the worst time possible. He knew right there that he couldn't escape.

A piercing pain ripped his arm, he knew that he was hit by a bullet, But he kept moving till he reached a guarded chained gate, he shot the guard and padlock and kicjed the gate open, he was now inches away from his escape.

Skinner's car came screeching to a halt by the gate, McGregor opened the door and was about to get in, when multiple gunshots were heard in the distance, and dozens of bullets plunged into McGregor's back, he collapsed into the seat and closed the door behind him.

Skinner kicked the gas pedal down and the wrecked car bolted forward, but caught a glimpse of Bain holding a machine gun and dropping it for some reason in the distance. He didn't know what had become of McGregor until he saw the pool of blood in the bottom of the passenger's side of the car.

"Bloody Hell!" Skinner mumbled as he realized how terrible the situation was.

McGregor coughed up a mouthful of blood as he searched for something.

"Oh no," said McGregor with a gurgled voice, "I... I lost the lighter."

"Fuck the lighter!" cursed the Skinner as he hit the brakes due to heavy traffic, he honked his horn aggressively and yelled obscenities out the window, "Hang on. Michael, I'll get you to a hospital."

"I don't think I'll make it." said McGregor weakly.

"Hang in there for a little while, there's a hospital two minutes away from here. Stay alive."

McGregor removed the prosthetics revealing his real face.

"It's my fault really, I should have fixed my body up after that doctor botched my surgery, Or at least shot the doctor. Hheh heh heheh. Shite. I used to be a real piece of work, I could've shot them all and been back at the house before you could say: Haggis."

Skinner hit the horn continuously till everyone else honked back.

"McGregor, you fat Bastard! Don't you dare die on me!

"Sorry about all this, Sonny Jim. But I think I will."

"Fuck you, you Scottish…!" yelled Skinner as tears started to stream down his cheeks, "Hang on!"

"Goodbye, Mate." said the Fat Bastard as raised his thick open hand, Skinner reluctantly clutched it as McGregor's head fell to the side.

Skinner's sobbed for seconds as he watched his Friend fall, he had an overwhelming desire to go home, pick up all the guns he could carry and return to the League's headquarter to raise some hell. It was happening all over again, all his friends were going to die.

Knowing it was all futile, Skinner decided to abandon the car and McGregor inside it. So he managed to get into a dark ally and hide the car, and just as he was opening the door to leave, he heard the voice,

"Sonny..."

Slowly, he turned to see McGregor. A chill went through his spine as he saw the spy looking straight at him with all the pride in the world, his mouth dripping with blood.

"You can't let them win!" he said through gritted teeth,

"You just can't, do you understand me, you little bastard? You... **CAN'T!**"


	10. Panic Under the Streets of London

Natalya, Jekyll and Judas, who was covered with a cloak got out of the cab and walked up the stairs to their house.

Walking through the door, they were met by Logan and Turkish, both looked upset.

"Whose this?" asked Logan, gesturing towards Judas who took of his cloak.

"Jude Kemp, he's a vampire, and our newest recruit."

"Hello." greeted Judas dryly.

"These are Logan and Turkish."

"Are you alright?" Turkish asked Natalya.

"I'm fine. But.. Is something wrong?"

There was a long pause.

"McGregor is dead."

**--------------------**

Jekyll, Skinner, Natalya, Logan and Judas stood above the Themes on Westminister Bridge after sunset. An urn filled with McGregor's ashes was with the Skinner.

Two black cars pulled up on the other side of the square, and those in it stepped out and started walking slowly towards the Anti-League.

Skinner opened the urn and let the ash fly in the summer wind towards the waters, while he mumbled silently, "_'Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of the death, I will fear no evil; for though art with me, Old friend._'"

The men had earlier returned to the ally, where they took McGregor's body and took it to a mortuary where he was cremated. Then came here to send him off.

"Very touching, this is."

The pompous tone could mean only one thing for Jekyll and Skinner. They all turned around to see who it was.

"The vengeful compatriots bidding farewell to their fallen brother." said Dorian mockingly.

The two opposing factions stood opposite each other, Dorian had Elle Driver, Miguel Bain, Mr. Trick and Ethan Rayne at his sides. Dorian held an umbrella in his hands.

"Dorian."

"Skinner," said Dorian in a greeting, "Jekyll. It's been a long time."

"Not long enough to make us shed the urge to choke you to death." Jekyll barked.

Dorian ignored the last remark faced Logan and said, "James. I see you haven't changed, much like myself."

There was a silent moment where everyone was either feeling smug or feeling rage boil up inside them.

"What did you think, Skinner? Did you honestly believe that you'd kill my agents, find a way to kill me, blow my building up? And with what? A spy who can't pass a hamburger to save his life and some hired thugs?"

"I will, Gray. If it takes the last drop of my blood, I will end you."

"Yes. You could try of course, but you won't achieve anything. You see Skinner, there are two types of people as far as the League is concerned. Those who are worth a damn, and those who aren't. You see, If you and Jekyll were of the first category, then your government which you served so loyally wouldn't have sprayed you with bacterium. The fact that you both survived means only that you are more like roaches than I imagined. But in any event, There is one conclusion to you lot; you get crushed. I mean, you didn't even wonder how come Fat Bastard's body was still in that ally, you didn't notice that we put a tracker on him. If you did then you wouldn't have been in this situation. But you can't help it, can you? Because you're simply worth Fuck all!"

Wolverine's anger reached a peak at that instant and his claws tore out of his arms, Judas bared his fangs prepared to attack Mr. Trick. Natalya glimpsed Jekyll's eyes as they turned hazel and realized he was preparing to change.

Trick bore his fangs as well, Dorian pulled his sword out of his umbrella, Miguel and Elle raised their guns. While Ethan preferred to step back and let the others do the fighting.

"Looks like it's all going to end here, is it? No master plans, no ambush, no-"

Dorian fell to the ground, the members of the League looked in astonishment as Dorian was healing from a bullet hole in the neck that would have killed him had he not been Immortal.

"Restrain yourselves." said Dorian as he got up.

"Let me take them," said Bain as he pulled back the hammer of his gun, "I'll kill them like I did to their fat friend."

"Don't." ordered Dorian sternly.

"Incidentally, Dorian. I did think it was add how McGregor's body was still in that ally. And I didn't even have to touch him to know the tracker was in his armpit. And that was one of my men who just killed you, and if you so as much as cough in my direction, he will fire again. And believe me when I say it will hit someone who will not be able to recover from it, perhaps it will be Mr. Rayne or Miss Driver, or even your lover Miss Fatale sitting in that car over there." Skinner said as he pointed at the black car parked a great distance away.

"So you see, Dorian." started Jekyll, "We're going to walk out of here alive, and there is nothing you can do about it. Because when It comes down to it, you're still just the conceited nancy boy you always were who couldn't scratch the surface, and it is you who is worth Fuck All!"

"You don't know what you've got yourself into." said Dorian, "I won't rest till all six of your heads are tossed to my dogs."

"We expect nothing less of you, because we plan to see this till the bitter end."

Dorian turned around and walked away while his Operative stood there for a second. Judas gave Trick the finer saying, "We have unfinished business, Arsehole."

"We sure do, peckerwood." retorted Trick.

The two factions started to walk away in opposite directions.

"Let them leave." said Dorian into a microphone in his sleeve, addressing some Agents that were at the location, "But follow them back."

"That spell you did," said Dorian, "Will it affect the sniper as well?"

"If he meets with them before they return home, it will pass on to him as well." said Rayne.

"Good."

They reached to their cars, Dorian got into the back seat of his and spoke to Sofie.

"Did you see a gunman by any chance?" asked Dorian.

"No. Why?"

"No reason. I need you to recall Sands, Cain and Kroenen. I need them back here soon. Also, we might increase the roaster, I need the Eye to provide a list of candidates."

"What about the surprise that's at their home?"

"It will take care of them, but I fear there are more Shadows on the way."

**----------------------------------------**

The six had managed to regroup and head home, and along the way they had started arguing about what to do next.

They had gathered in the den, loudly discussing matters, Judas stood in the doorway staring ahead blankly.

"You know what's going to happen, right? said Jekyll.

"Hellfire and Damnation? I figured so." said Skinner.

"They definitely followed us here." commented Jekyll.

"But why haven't they attacked now that Turkish is not a threat?" asked Natalya.

"A siege?" Turkish speculated.

"Perhaps, they're probably lurking outside."

"Guys." said Judas, but no one paid any attention.

"I guess all those bombs and guns will come in handy, huh?" Logan said, addressing Turkish.

"Looks like."

"We can't afford to clash with the League at this point. We better be looking for some new quarters, maybe even leave the city for a while."

"You're no seriously suggesting it, are you?"

"Guys." Judas repeated, to no avail.

"What if there is a siege, what if they suddenly attack us?"

"We have a solution for that actually."

"Guys!" yelled Judas.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"What?" Jekyll asked.

"There is a bomb over there!"

They looked at where he was looking, it was a completely empty space.

"What are you talking about, it's an empty space!" said Logan.

"Look, I'm telling you, there is a timed bomb over there, and it's counting down from ninety seconds!"

Silence fell on the group for several moments.

"Son of a bitch!" said Skinner, "Ethan Rayne must have cast a spell on us. Judas wasn't affected on count of his vampirism."

"Seventy seconds."

Again, they were frozen. Not knowing what to do. Skinner looked out the window and spotted several Agents with their guns drawn, preparing to kill any one who escapes.

"Christ, they're there!"

"Sixty seconds."

They all snapped out of it. Judas looked for his sword, Jekyll and Skinner collected the important files and papers while Turkish got his rifle, Natalya went to get her lap top.

"I'll need help with the new computer." she said.

"Forget about it." said Judas, "There are forty seconds left."

"Logan..." said Jekyll, and the mutant got the message and headed to where the computer was to get it.

Natalya, Judas, Jekyll and Turkish followed Skinner to a storage room where after pulling a brick on the wall, a stair leading underground was exposed, they descended down it and reached a tunnel and they ran for their lives.

The explosion was deafening and rocked the underground tunnel, but they kept going till the shacking stopped.

They sat in the abandoned tunnel, covered in sweat and dust from the debris when a figure advanced towards them.

Logan's upper half was badly burned, the explosion had rendered him almost featureless, but he was miraculously healing at a remarkable speed.

As he reached them, the last bit of scorched tissue faded, and he handed the computer CPU to Natalya.

"Thank you." she said, but he was too angry to respond.

For twenty minutes, complete silence fell upon the group as they sat in the poorly ventilated tunnel.

"You know," started Judas, "At some point, one of us should say: What next?"

"Is there a way out of here besides the house?" asked Natalya.

"Yes. The tunnel leads to the confessional booth of a church." said Skinner.

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Logan, "Why don't we get moving?"

"To what purpose?" said Skinner with an angry tone, "They exposed us! It's all over!"

Skinner got up and so did Jekyll.

"It's all pointless, you know. You're not likely to find out who you were, not from them anyway." Skinner said,

"Skinner, you need to calm down for us to think-" Jekyll was saying before Skinner interrupted.

"We have no guns, no house, we've lost the element of surprise, and London will be crawling with Agents looking for us. I think I've come back to my senses and I'm going to leave this country."

"Just like that, eh?" said Judas, "I'm not through the door for ten hours and you're preparing to throw in the towel?"

"Listen, Judas. I don't know you, I don't like you, and I don't trust you. So don't start passing judgment on me."

Judas rolled his eyes as Skinner went on, saying, "For a Hundred years I thought of nothing except my Vendetta. I've planned, bribed, cajoled, threatened and promised. And now I realize it's all was for nothing because my vengeance is unattainable, so shut your mouth!"

"Skinner, you better calm down before you say something you'll regret saying later." said Jekyll.

"Being too sincere isn't my main concern at the moment. It's staying alive."

"We've come this far, we can't stop."

"You've forgot whose calling the shots, Henry. And I say it's all off, so you all forget about it."

"You'd better reconsider," said Jekyll sternly, "Because if you don't lead them. Then I will."

Skinner grinned mockingly.

"You will lead them? Excuse me while I roll on the floor and split my side laughing." scoffed Skinner, "But what do you think about it, Men. Would you want to be lead by an Alcoholic whose been out of a job and boozing for the last thirty years?"

"What did you say?" said a wide eyed Jekyll.

"You think I hadn't noticed how you can't go through the day without having seven vats of scotch in you? You're pathetic Jekyll, Just like Dorian said."

"Son of a Bitch!"

Jekyll punched Skinner to the ground.

"This looks exciting." said Judas with a smile, while everybody else didn't know how to react.

Skinner got up and punched Jekyll back, who retaliated by burying his shoulder into Jekyll's sternum and shoving him into a wall.

"Stop it." said Natalya as Jekyll shoved Skinner face first into a wall, "You're going to kill him."

"Don't worry," said Jekyll as he punched Skinner in the kidneys, "I won't change. I'm perfectly able to hand him his arse on my own."

Jekyll went on dominating for thirty seconds or so before, Skinner exploded with a punch to the jaw and knocked the Doctor down, then went on to kick him in the sides. Jekyll soon caught his foot and pulled him to the ground.

"Isn't anyone going to do anything?" said Natalya.

Turkish and Logan were not very enthused, but got up and separated them.

"Turkish," barked Skinner, "let me go!"

Logan held Jekyll back tightly, as the latter said,

"I can't believe it, After all these years, when I had started to forget, you start the record again, 'Oh, It's for Nemo, Mina and all our mates!' you say, and I'm daft enough to fall for it. And as usual, when the shit hit's the fan, you're the first one to bail on your friends."

"What are you going on about?" asked Skinner.

"I'm talking about 1904! You walked out on me to try and get some payback, and left me alone for years when I needed a friend. You may have been perfectly been able to mourn on your own. But I could've used a friend back then."

"What happened in 1904?" asked Judas.

"We don't know." replied Logan.

"I may not be the man I used to be, Skinner. I may be a pathetic drunk. But at least I was there every time you needed my help for the past century. When you were dieing of a knife to your stomach I saved you. When you were rotting in prison I tore down the walls with my fists so you could escape. I even found the scientist who cured you of your invisibility. I've been by far a better friend to you than you were to me."

Jekyll had seemed to calm down a bit and so did Skinner, so Turkish and Logan let them go but stayed close to keep another brawl from japanning. Skinner was surprised at what he was hearing.

"Well why didn't you say something," started Skinner, "If I'd knew... Ah, sod it, Jekyll. We're starting to sound like a lesbian couple!"

Skinner then chuckled nervously, but no one was feeling humorous.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Henry. I had no idea, I guess I've always been a lone wolf, I thought you wanted your space as well."

"Well, you were wrong."

"Jeez. Are they always like this? I think I've stumbled into an estrogen raddled rebellion." Judas said under his breath.

"Yes, I see that now. Look, that shit about I said about you being pathetic, that was just the panic talking... You can outsmart me with half your brain tied behind your back, I know that."

"Get your head out of my arse, Skinner!" Jekyll said, "I don't give a tripe about what anyone thinks of me. That's not important right now. What's important is where we go from here.

"I didn't have anything going on before you returned. You have gotten me out of my rut, and I thank you for that. For the first time in years, I actually feel something. I'm not going to quit, If you want to leave, then go ahead, but that'll be the end of it. I'll lead what's left, and you will never talk about Vendetta anymore. So make your choice, right here, right now."

Skinner was sweating bullets by this point, he realized the severity of the ultimatum, and he didn't take too long to make up his mind.

"Okay." he said.

"Okay... What?" said Jekyll.

"I'm in it till the bitter end."

"Oh, good. Then we should leave." said Jekyll.

The six walked through the tunnel, "Where to?" asked Judas.

"We're leaving the country." said Jekyll, "We'll leave England to reevaluate our plans, we'll have to make a fresh start."

"But we'll be back, right?"

"Yeah," said Skinner, "We'll be back."


	11. Interlude

**Much could happen in sixty days, and much had had happened in two months since Michael McGregor's death. The six remaining individuals who had set out to destroy the League had vanished without a trace, disappeared. Agents of the League had combed all of London but could not find any of them. They had all fled the country to whereabouts unknown. The League then started to forget about them, thinking they had abandoned their mission, and they resumed their covert operations around the world.**

**_The Shadow Brigade_ as they were dubbed by Dorian Gray had not really abandoned their mission, but were pursuing other goals. Natalya had taken up residence in Boston where she studied the League's computer system as well as The All-Seeing-Eye as she acquired the plans to both, stolen by Judas, Logan and Skinner, while Jekyll and Turkish traveled the world digging up information about Dorian Gray.**

**After weeks of hiding, they were once again ready. So they flocked to London from different locations under assumed names, to take the final steps towards the final battle…**


	12. lex talionis

**TWO MONTHS LATER**

_**London, England**_

Miguel Bain sat in the Reform Club in the evening listening to some old haggard go on about a supposed wager between members of the club in the second half of the nineteenth's century, concerning the possibility to travel around the entire globe in less than three months.

An attendant arrived with an envelope that he handed to Bain, who was busy politely smiling to the old man and resisting the urge to punch him in the teeth.

"Whose it from?" he asked.

"He said he was from the office, Sir. He didn't give his name."

"How did he look?"

"He was slightly shorter than average height, had sandy brown hair and a moustache."

The description sounded familiar, but he couldn't figure out what who it was. He accepted the envelope and opened it.

Two coin-like circular iron disks slid out, each was inscribed with a single world in lower case letter. One read **lex **and the other read **talionis**.

He went pale, realizing what was the meaning and remembering someone by the description of who was it that gave the attendant the letter.

"Dear Christ, chap," said the old man, "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"I'm a mark." he mumbled, then the window behind him shattered and the back of his head exploded spraying blood everywhere.

Thirty Minutes Later...

Dorian Gray brushed Bain's face and closed his dead eyes which held a frozen look of disbelief. Sofie Fatale stood behind him watching on, she wondered what emotions were going through her lover's mind and heart, was it fury? Insult? Remorse? It could be any of that and a number of others or a combination of all, but she can never know.

"Who can it be?" she asked.

"Who knows? It could competing agencies, vengeful kin of past victims, but most likely, it was the Shadows."

He picked up the two coins in Bain's palm and read the inscriptions.

"Talionis... Lex... _lex talionis_: An Eye for an Eye. This was an act of retaliation, revenge for the death of their fallen comrade. This was certainly the work of the Turkish Sniper."

He placed the two disks on Bain's shut eyelids, For the Ferryman" he whispered, then stood up and faced Sofie, "How are the new recruits holding up?"

"The Monk is having trouble abandoning his beliefs, but the mutant is showing great cooperation."

"And the vampire? The Reaper?"

"He doesn't like working with Mr. Trick, but is cooperating as well."

He looked into her eyes and brushed a lock of hair from her face.

"Will we see each other tonight?" she asked.

"For dinner? Sorry, no. Perhaps tomorrow night. I'll let you pick the restaurant."

Meanwhile...

In a high apartment building in one of the better parts of London yet a safe distance away from the League's Headquarters, in the top floor, in the ample balcony, there sat Logan and Skinner, playing chess.

After delivering the envelope with the coins, Judas headed on to the airport to pick up Jekyll who had been out of the country, and drove him to their new quarters.

Turkish had returned to the apartment as well and was in the living room cleaning his rifle when Jekyll and Judas walked in.

"Turkish…" said Jekyll.

"Doctor Jekyll." Turkish replied with a nod, like a solider saluting a superior officer.

"Nice to see you, how is Mr. Bain?"

"Monumentally Dead."

"Good to hear that, well done."

Jekyll and Judas walked on to the balcony where they met Logan and Skinner.

"Hello, Skinner, Logan."

"Jekyll."

"Henry, My Boy!" hollered Skinner as he pulled his old friend into an embrace that lasted for a good fifteen seconds, "How do you like the new base?"

"Nice, not too secretive at all."

"Eheh. We'll they probably didn't expect us to do it twice, do they? Now tell me what did you find?"

"Nothing useful, I'm afraid. Only Dorian knows the secret to his demise."

"Cheer up, Mate." said Judas, "We can always burry him in cement."

"That wouldn't work in the long run, though."

Turkish opened the door to the apartment and saw Natalya standing outside, surrounded by her luggage, waiting to be let in.

"Turkish!" she exclaimed, "It's great to see you!"

She put down her bag and raised her arms to hug him, he smiled faintly and allowed her to wrap her arms around him.

"It's great to see you too. How was Boston?"

"Great. Some of my friends at M.I.T. were very helpful. Would you mind helping me with my bags?"

"Sure."

Turkish picked up her bags and followed her into the apartment.

"I see you've developed an extra pair of eyes." said Turkish as he noticed a new pair of glasses resting on Natalya's nose.

"Weeks of exposure to florosenic light will do that to you. And you, you've shaved your beard."

"I though it would make me look less conspicuous, what do you think?"

"You don't look too repulsive."

"The beard stays off, then."

"Is everybody here?" asked Natalya as she started to open one of her bag in the living room.

"Yes, Jekyll just beat you here by a few minutes."

She spotted the rifle on the couch and her tone of voice changed from upbeat to slightly glum.

"Kill anyone interesting lately?"

"Miguel Bain."

"Miguel Bain? Is he…?"

"Yes."

"Well, he deserves it."

Turkish looked away, seeming to be ashamed to have killed someone, especially if Natalya had found out.

"The rest are over there." Turkish said, pointing to the balcony and sitting back down to clean his rifle.

She walked on by herself.

* * *

The _shadow brigade_ gathered in the study, as Skinner and Jekyll stood before them, explaining their strategies for the weeks to come.

"We had been going about it all wrong," started Jekyll, "We were preparing to go at it like soldiers, we were buying weaponry, expecting to go to war with the league, which was a terrible move, we can't survive a war with the League."

"What we must do is play it like Guerillas, Instead. We hit them when they least expect it and run before they know which end is up. So far, the League were slightly irritated by us, now they're raving mad because we killed one of their on and there is nothing they can do about it. We want them to hate us, to loathe us, to crave exacting revenge on us." said Skinner, "Mind Games and Shadow Boxing, those will be the weapons for the upcoming weeks."

"We will also take extra precautions, we will change Apartments once a week at least."

"Of course, at one point, we'll have to actively battle the League, but that won't be anytime soon. We must first obtain necessary knowledge of Big Brother's true identity, Dorian's Achilles Heel and the inner structures of the League's Headquarters, which will referred to as L-H-Q from now on as well as the location of 'the Eye'." finished Jekyll, "Now, Natalya, report your findings."

Natalya stood up to face the five as Skinner and Jekyll sat back down, as she was about to explain what she learned after two Months of Intense Work.

"All-Seeing-Eye can't be hacked."

"Well, that's very helpful!" said Skinner in frustration.

"It is virtually connected to every airport, every intelligence agency, and every computer that would contain records of ID's about Individual's movement, it compares names, physical features and so on to find specific individuals and track down their movements. It is a marvel of Engineering, it is a God as far as all other computers are concerned. I can overwhelm you with floods of Technical Information and Computer Jargon, but I'll spare you, and simply state that to stop it from working, I have to do it from the inside. I have to shut it down from wherever it is, and even that will be difficult."

"Out of the question." said Skinner, "You were hired only as technical support, you were never meant to go in with us."

"Why not?" objected Natalya.

"Yeah, why not?" asked Jekyll.

"Every one else is going."

"Every one else can look after themselves." said Skinner, looking at Jekyll out the corner of his eye.

"And I can't, Why? Because I'm a woman?"

"Yes, and a civilian, you have no combat training or superhuman resources. Look, I'm all for women's liberation, equal pay and all that rubbish. But you're going to have to look for another solution."

"I've been doing that for two months, there's no other way."

Skinner was about to say something when Natalya interrupted him, "And I can't teach someone else to do it. I may need to improvise."

"Alright, you'll go in with us, I don't care. So, if you had access to the Eye, you can kill it?"

"Uhh, theoretically, yes."

"You mean you're not sure."

"No, not really, my plan is not fully developed, but I'm working on it, don't worry."

"What about the League's mainframe, can you hack it?" asked Jekyll.

"Yes."

The meeting was soon concluded and everybody scrambled out to do something or another.

Hours later, Turkish walked in on Natalya as she was typing a series of complicated instructions and commands to be compiled as a computer.

"Do you eat?" asked Turkish.

"What?" she asked as she looked up, not sure if that was actually a question.

"I'm pretty sure the answer is yes. Would you be interested in erasing any doubt?"

"Umm… Sorry?"

"Would you like to get some dinner?"

She shifted between looking back at the screen and looking at him.

"I'm not done yet."

"Will you be done tonight if you keep at it?"

"No…"

"Well, it's pointless then. Have a break."

"Alright.." she said as she got up after a moment of hesitation and exited to the living room which was empty.

"Where is everyone?" she asked.

"Jude went to do some heavy drinking."

"Alcohol?"

"And otherwise."

"Oh.."

"The others have went to buy the weapons."

"Why are you here then?"

"I got banned last time. The dealer wasn't enthralled by my middle eastern charms."

Natalya opened the fridge in the kitchen and found nothing but Logan's beer and some pickles.

"There's no food."

"No problem, let's go out." said Turkish as he put on a jacket.

"Where?"

"There are lots of good restaurants in London, you know, most of which serve something besides that ghastly thing they call English Cuisine."

* * *

"Are you annoyed by the surroundings?" asked Turkish as he and Natalya sat at a table in the corner of a loud Turkish restaurant, swarming with immigrants and Britons eating a variety of Turkish and other Mediterranean dishes.

"No. I actually like it." said Natalya with a smile, "I guess I forgot that Turkish was your nationality and not your name. Why do you go by Turkish, I know it's because you're from Turkey, but why don't you use your birth name? What is your name, anyway?"

Turkish didn't answer right away as he chewed and swallowed,

"My former affiliates had made it policy to omit personal identification to facilitate our work. Old habits die hard I guess. What about you, why did you join the team?"

"I could use the money?"

"So you got in on a plot to bring down a major Intelligence Organization? The I.T. job market must be in a rut."

"Well, Skinner promised to pay me a lot of it."

"But, that's not all, is it?"

"Well, there was this man, I used to be romantically involved with him. The League killed him."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, was he your husband?"

"No, it didn't last long either, the bastard cheated on me! But, he saved my life, I owe him."

"You still haven't told me your name." said Natalya after a beat.

"I will, if this all ends and were both still alive, I'll tell you my name."

There was a pause as the two ate.

"Listen, Natalya. I was wondering, do you really find it to be a good idea to go in with us?"

"Oh god!" exclaimed Natalya.

"What?"

"Skinner told you to do this, right? Try and talk me out of it?"

"No. Well…. Yes, though the dinner was my idea."

"I can't believe this!"

"Natalya, Shh." said Turkish, urging Natalya to be silent.

"I won't shhhh! I expect to be tr-"

"PLEASE! Quiet."

Natalya obeyed, sensing something was on, she looked over her shoulder but Turkish ordered her not to do it.

"Don't look, but Ethan Rayne is sitting behind you."

"Can he see us?"

"No, I don't think so. There is another man with him, a tall albino. Do you know who it may be?"

"No. A new recruit?"

"Probably. We should leave."

Turkish placed a stack of Euros on the table and quietly got up and walked to the back.

He peered out of the back door and instantly noticed a number of the League's agents, loitering around, trying to look casual. He dialed Skinner's number and waited till he picked up.

"Skinner?"

"Yeah."

"We're in a bit of a pickle."

"What do you mean?"

"Natalya and I went out to dine, there is a number of Agents outside. Something is definitely going on. Ethan Rayne is in as well. He has someone with him who may very well be a new recruit."

"And EXACTLY what are you doing… Never mind. Where are you?"

"A Turkish restaurant on Watford Street."

"Alright, we'll be there. Stay put till we come."

Skinner hung up.

"Don't think of moving, Captain Kebab."

The click sounded very familiar. He didn't have to turn around to see that some Agent was aiming a Beretta at him.

"Captain Kebab, eh?" said Turkish as he stuck his hands into his pocket, "Did you come up with that just now or did you have to use the hash-pipe drugs to get the creative juices flowing?"

"Shut your trap, cockroach. Walk out, and you too."

Natalya and Turkish couldn't do much but oblige. They had individually come to the conclusion that the situation was as bleak as it could get. They had no weapons, and were being led to enforcers working for their enemies. They crossed the street and walked to a clear area near an ally, a car with tainted windows was parked.

"Well, well," said another Agent, "Two of the Six, we're definitely getting a raise."

There was seven of them in total, they all resembled each other in being of average to well built, wearing dark suits and brown coats, they circled the pair as they stood in an ally.

"Natalya," started Turkish calmly, "Don't fret."

One of the larger Agents punched Turkish in the jaw knocking the wind clear out of him, and sending him to the ground, two others started kicking the fallen Turkish.

"Leave him alone!" said Natalya as she tried to pull one of them back, but he turned around and slapped her.

"Bitch!" he cursed, Turkish tried to go to her rescue but only managed to get beaten some more.

"What now, lads?" asked the Agent, who seemed to be of the highest rank, "What do we do with two captives?"

"Oh, they're too much, Rookwood. We need only one."

"My thoughts exactly. He's an enforcer, he probably knows just a little, while she is a thinker, probably knows about the ins and outs of everything."

Rookwood grabbed Natalya by the arm and pulled her up as she struggled to get away.

"Kill him." He said.

"And her?"

"Oh, she'll soon meet a fate worst than death. It'll soften her up for interrogation back at headquarters."

The other Agents laughed like a pack of wolves having stumbled upon a wounded lamb.

"Don't worry, I'll save the scraps for you." said Rookwood as he headed to the car with the tainted windows, "And for him, make his death last for ages, will you, lads?"

* * *

Oh oh! R&R. By the by, I know I said I had abandoned this little fic, but I got a sudden brush of inspiration when I had nothing better to do. 


	13. Vandelisim and Voyerisim

"What can I say, _Ivanna_? This is not your night."

Natalya desperately tried to fight off Rookwood as he tried to rip open the buttons of her blouse while the two were in the car's back seat, she slapped him in the face and kicked him in the crotch, which served to add to his aggression.

**_-----------------------------------------_**

Turkish spat a mouthful of blood on the ground and looked defiantly as the Agents came down on him with kicks.

"Look at the Wog," said one of them, "He's not right, is he?"

"Why aren't you begging for mercy?" asked another as he folded Turkish with a kick to the stomach.

"Be careful." Turkish muttered.

"What?"

The next Agent to attack him was kicked in the sin and then found himself flying through the air, his silenced pistol simply disappearing from it's holster. Two bullets found their way to his chest before he hit the ground.

The Next Agent went to pull his own firearm out of the holster, but was dead before his arm could move, the Second managed to touch his but died nonetheless, the third pulled it out when his heart was pierced by a bullet, the fourth and was about to pull the trigger when his brains were splattered onto a wall, the fifth was aiming at Turkish's back and he pulled the trigger before he could turn to face him.

Click.

"Your safety is on."

A bullet sent him to meet his maker, Turkish turned around and headed out of the ally.

_**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"Alright, Bitch. It's time for you to stop being so prissy and do a-"

The glass shattered and Rookwood was pulled out of the car, Turkish kicked him forcefully in the crotch as the would-be-rapist laid in a heap by the car.

"Are you Okay?" asked Turkish.

"I'm fine." said Natalya as she pulled her ripped shirt together, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Turkish turned his attention back to Rookwood and dragged him into the ally, where he tossed him amidst his dead colleagues.

"Jesus Christ!" said Rookwood, then reached for a gun that belonged to one of the Agents and aimed it at Turkish.

A bullet hit the gun holding the gun, and another one for the other hand, Rookwood screamed in pain as a finger was dismembered.

Turkish dropped his gun and punched Rookwood in the jaw with all his might, sending him flying backwards.

"Son of a Bitch!" Turkish cursed, his muscles were aching all over, but he may had broken his bones punching Rookwood that hard, the latter's nose was obviously broken and gushed with blood.

"Please!" don't kill me, "I'll do what you want!"

"What is Ethan Rayne doing in there?"

"I don't know."

Turkish looked for a gun he could use.

"Wait! He had some papers he left in the car!"

"And the bloke with him, the Albino, who is he?"

"He's a new recruit, Assassination Department."

"His name?"

"I heard them call him Silas."

"Are there other new recruits?"

"I think so, at least another one. I don't know anything else."

Turkish raised a gun and stuck it between Rookwood's eyes.

"I TOLD ALL I KNOW, I SWEAR TO GOD!"

"Well, in that case." said Turkish then tossed the gun aside, got up and walked away.

_**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"They got the dossiers. You shouldn't have left them in the car." said Dorian.

"Well, your agents shouldn't have been drinking on the job and taking their time to rape and wallop before killing opponents, should they?" replied Ethan.

Dorian, Sofie and Ethan were having a private meting regarding last night's events, Rookwood was the only one to survive, and he told them what happened.

"Anyway, the papers won't help them much, they need the Disks to figure out what's what, and they're encrypted," said Sofie, "There's no chance they'll be able to decode them before it's done."

_**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"Your hand isn't broken. But it's in bad shape." said Jekyll as he was bandaging Turkish's hand, "Let it rest, don't even use it to scratch your forehead."

"Okay." said Turkish, whose face was bruised and cut. Skinner sat nearby waiting.

"Would you like something for the pain?" asked Jekyll.

"No, I'm fine."

"Good, because I don't have a license to practice medicine anyway." said Jekyll as he smiled and patted Turkish on the shoulder, then left.

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Skinner as he crossed his arms on his chest and leaned against a wall.

"I'm still alive." answered Turkish laconically.

"You know, when I told you to talk to Natalya, I meant in the Apartment. I didn't specify that you two leave."

"I know, but I was bored and in the mood for some grills. I wasn't counting on crossing paths with the League."

Skinner looked blankly at him, then walked over and looked him in the eyes.

"Do you two have anything between you that I should know about?"

"No." said Turkish awkwardly.

"Do you have any feeling for her?"

"What? No!" said Turkish and chuckled nervously.

"Good, because I forbid you to do anything."

Turkish laughed nervously, then quieted down and objected, "But, why not?"

"It's a bad move to get emotionally involved with friends in arms. It makes you think with all the wrong organs."

"Dorian and that French chick are together and they seem fine."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"What about Jekyll, didn't he marry that Vampire Maxine?"

"Her name was Mina. And Jekyll used to think with the wrong organs to begin with."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know, it just came out. What do you see in her anyway?"

"Well, she's beautiful, she has that accent which I find appealing.."

"Does she feel the same about you?"

"I don't know, maybe, being the only other normal person must work for my advantage."

"Well, it won't. I don't want you two dating, eating Turkish food, drinking and she better not see _the little sniper._"

"Alright, just never use the term little sniper again!"

_**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_La Rochelle, France_

The tall handsome man sat at a café besides a man of his late forties, dressed in a suit, hat and trench coat.

"You say the Shadows are back?" asked the tall man.

"Yes, Commander. They have so far Assassinated Miguel Bain and took out a number of their Agents."

"My dear Tanner, I do believe you owe me five hundred pounds as according to our wager."

"Indeed I do, Sir. Will you be using it to purchase a ticket?"

"I don't see myself as being a bystander in this situation."

"Very well, Commander, I'll make the Arrangements."

**_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

**L . H . Q .**

**Room 101**

Dorian sat at his usual seat as Big Brother's face was spread all over the screen as he issued his orders with a strict demeanor.

"Two months, Mr. Gray, two months had passed with the Shadows on the loose! I must tell you, I'm beginning to have serious doubts about the competence of your Intelligence staff and yours!"

"Sir," started Dorian as he resisted the urge to bark back, "You must realize that these aren't the regular gutless deserting agents, these men are professionals, they were hardened by years of hardship and are very devoted to topple us. None of them is going to sell out anyone else, and none of their contacts are fans of our either. We'll get them, eventually. I just need more time."

"Mr. Gray," started Big Brother, "I'm a man of few, yet firm beliefs, I believe in God, I believe in our Supremacy as a nation and as a race, and I believe that these people are nothing but obstacles that must be eradicated so this country can finally move in the right direction. You have until the end of the month to seek them out and execute them. Now, how is Project FATE moving along?"

"Project FATE is going as scheduled, it should be running completely within weeks."

"Have you made all preparations for the demonstration?"

"Yes."

"Good, I'll leave you for your duties. _England Prevails!_"

_**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"Gentlemen," said Skinner as he passed around pictures of the Albino Recruit known as _Silas_, "Meet our newest Adversary, his name is Silas. Right now, all we know is that he used to be a monk in the Christian Church of Opus Dei and that he hails from Spain."

The group were gathered in the study discussing strategies and plans that will be used in the days to come.

"We've got hold of a number of discs as well as some papers, they refer to a classified project codenamed FATE. Unfortunately, we haven't got a clue about what it refers to, we hope to get the Disks decrypted. God willing, once that happens, Jekyll, Kemp, Logan and I will do some Infiltration."

"What bout me?" asked Turkish.

"Your injuries will hold us back, Sorry." said Jekyll, "But, While Natalya works on the Disks, we will pass the time by practicing our drive-the-league-off-the-wall strategy."

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

**The Farraday Club **was founded in the late years of the nineteenth century, by a woman of self-attained wealth but poor moral fabric whose name was Delia Farraday. It's officially an Exclusive Social Club, which hosts several charities as well. However, in reality it deals in History's Oldest Profession, a fact that many knew but kept quiet about because several of the Club's members were in fact prominent columns of Society and noted politicians.

Working on a tip from Dr Jekyll, Natalya had hacked into the Club's computer and viewed their records, learning that Dorian Gray frequented the club quit often since it was founded, and that he had a room reserved for him that wouldn't be assigned to any other member unless all other chambers were occupied.

Logan and Judas loitered in the ally behind the club at sunset, while Jekyll kept the guard occupied by engaging him in an irritating conversation.

Logan gave Judas a boost that propelled him ten feet in the air, the vampire clung to the wall with his palms and scaled it like a spider, climbing to the window of Dorian's regular room.

He pushed the window open and got in, he couldn't help but whistle as he saw the lavish furniture and the oversized bed covered in silk sheets. _'Very nice for a brothel.'_ Judas thought as he started to loosen the screws that held the bar holding the curtain in place, then placed a small device on the wall by the bar.

Judas got out like he got in, and climbed down to where Jekyll was still engaged in a heated argument with the guard, once he reached the ground, he and Logan walked quietly out of the ally, Jekyll soon finished the argument and followed the other men.

_**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

Father McKenzie looked out the corner of his eye at Skinner as the two stood on the rooftop of an Apartment Building, the old man was still uncomfortable with Skinner's request.

"You're asking me to bless this building's water tank?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Ehh. I've got complicated reasons."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that, Rodney my son."

"I'm asking this as a favor, Father, I'm hoping our long standing friendship will help influence your judgment."

"Well, I can't do it."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, It's hardly reasonable for me to do something like this, especially since no good could come of it."

"What if I would say that I'd offer you some money?"

"My son, are you attempting to bribe a servant of the lord?"

"Heavens, No! I'm just promising to make a donation and asking for a little something in return."

"Well, when you put it that way..."

"Glad to see were on the same page, would ten-thousand be good?"

"But… that's too much! Are you sure you can afford it?"

"Something tells me I won't enjoy the money for long."

"Oh, bless you son."

"Go on Rev."

Father McKenzie cracked open his bible and began…

**_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

Jekyll, Judas and Logan walked to where the BMW Convertible was parked by an upscale star restaurant, Jekyll and Judas assumed their positions near the sidewalk as Logan extended a claw and stabbed the tires on the other side, deflating them and causing the car to slant sideways.

Amidst the astonished stairs of onlookers, Logan joined the other two and reached for the bottom of the car and tried to lift it, as Jekyll had tapped into his powers without fully shapeshifting which granted him greater strength. After a moments of intense physical effort, the structure was lifted of the ground and they lifted harder, eventually tipping over the car and causing it to flip over and land on its roof.

**_---------------------------_**

"Sir," said the Manager as he approached Dorian as he and Sofie dined, "I have some unfortunate news."

_**---------**_

Dorian looked with his jaw halfway to the floor as his car lay flipped on it's roof in the street.

"We found this note on your vehicle."

Dorian took the card from the manager, which read,

**_Yesterday was for Payback,_**

_**THIS was out of spite…**_

_** OOXX**_

_** The Shadows**_

He crumpled the note and tossed aside and paced in fury as people had gathered, some of which were pointing at Dorian and snickering.

"Would you like me to call a car from H-Q to take us back to my place?" asked Sofie.

"No," he said, "I'll grab a cab, I think I'll stay at home for the night."

"Okay. I'll clear this whole mess up."

"Thank you." he said without any true gratitude, but she shook it off. Dorian hailed a passing cab and got into the back seat, he told the driver his address and buried his face in his hands in frustration.

He knew what they were doing, he had practiced it for several decades, they were getting under his skin till he was obsessed with destroying them, then he would mistakes and be exposed for the kill. He knew better than to fall for it, but he was falling for it nonetheless.

He really loved that car.

He decided to shrug it off and remember that them and their petty Vendetta aren't worthy of his or the League's time, and that other more Important matters at hand, such as the Project FATE.

Dorian looked up and realized that the car was stuck in traffic, moreover, he was nowhere near home.

"What are we doing here?" asked Dorian.

"Sitting on our hands, Governor. Something's gone off with the lights and now we can't budge 'cause there's been a big mess ahead."

"What are we doing here to begin with? This isn't the way to my address!"

"Relax, Squire. We'll get there."

"You've went in the wrong direction, you idiot!"

"Excuse me!"

"Forget it!" said Dorian as he got out and walked among the stopped cars.

"Hey! What about my fair!" yelled the cab driver, then smiled and picked up his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Jude." said the Driver, "It's Chas."

_' 'Evenin' mate, it's done? ' _asked Judas through the waves.

"Aye, dropped him off by the Club."

_' Much obliged, you've earned your pay. '_

"How did you know there was going to be a traffic jam?"

_'Oh, there is this Sheila I know who can work these things. Goodnight. '_

Dorian walked as cars honked their horn as if that would get any of the cars moving. He was obsessing about the shadows again, he wanted to seriously hurt everyone of them. Soon, he reminded himself, if project FATE worked properly, all the Shadow will be exposed to a bright light that would obliterate them.

The thoughts of exterminating the League's enemies cheered him up and made him notice the surroundings, he was no stranger to this borough.

The Farraday Club stood nearby. Dorian knew it would take him forever to get home, and he needed to blow off some steam, so he pulled his coat around him and walked to the gate the preceded to enter the club.

At the same time, the traffic was clearing up and cars started moving, all due to a touch of a button within Natalya's reach.

Minutes passed and Dorian stood in his usual Chamber in the clubbrothel, two beautiful women, neither of whom was over the age of twenty stood with him as well. His frustration would soon be extinguished. He placed his hands upon one of the girls' waist and pulled her closer for a kiss as the other girl pressed herself against his back.

_**--------------------**_

Turkish adjusted the lenses of his camera as he stood on the roof of a building adjacent to that of the Farraday Club, enjoying the familiar feeling that filled him as he used the instrument, he reached the desired clarity and focus, then raised a remote control and pressed a button.

**_------------------------------_**

Three nude interlocking bodies twisted on the silk sheets in ecstasy, their grunts and moans were loud enough to be heard in the corridor outside, as they caved into their animalistic lust, the device previously installed by Judas was activated and caused the curtains to fall to the ground.

"This is definitely a new low for me." Turkish mumbled to himself as he pressed the button and he took a series of photos of the trio.

"Look up, Mr. Gray. Get your nose out of that thing."

For a brief second, Dorian was torn from debauchery to notice that the curtain had fallen, he pushed the two other bodies off him and sat up wondering what was going on.

"Attaboy." said Turkish as he snapped the incriminating picture.


	14. The Quiet before the Storm

_Come on! Throw a dog a frickin' bone here, I've checked my ststs page and I'm getting 25 hits per chapter, yet I havn't ghad a single review in seven chapters. Do it, for my sake, it won't hurt._

* * *

Mr. Trick woke up a few hours prior to Midnight, he walked to the kitchen draped in a silk robe and poured some water and coffee into the coffee maker, took a bag of blood from the freezer and tossed into the microwave and walked out to the bathroom where he took of the robe, marveled at his lack of reflection and walked into the shower. All the time he was thinking about the Shadows and how they had returned with a bang, a bang that was accompanied by the firing of a bullet that ended up in Bain's skull.

Unlike most of the other members of the League, Mr. Trick never did underestimate what they were capable of. He knew they could kill at least most of them if they wanted to, but were too wise to do something rash like that.

He turned on the water as he was thinking of Judas Kemp, and how they would eventually settle their unfinished business when the sensation hit him.

The water burned him like concentrated acid and Hellfire, the pain was so terrible that it prevented him from thinking of screaming, he finally jumped out of the stream and curled on the floor looking at his blistered skin.

"Holy Water?" he mused, "Oh, very cute. Someone is gonna pay for this, This is very _uncool_!"

**_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

Dorian walked into the conference room the following morning where all other Operatives were gathered, all in a bad mode, as he was, having still not understood what had happened two nights ago.

"We should just kill them!" Sebastian Cain the Invisible man said, "What's the use of all those spies if you can't find six people you already know everything about."

"What's wrong, Mr. Cain, do you miss your Reflection?"

"The Shadow Ass-Monkeys, that's what's wrong!" Elle Driver said, her blue eyes widening in rage.

"They've been pulling some pranks lately." said Trick calmly, as he was still slightly burned, "They blessed the water in my building."

"They cleared out my bank account!" said Elle.

"They stole my cat!" said Ethan.

"Good god!" said Dorian then turned to Sofie and said, "Sofie, fetch me a violin."

The room calmed down a bit, with the exception of Kroenen sounding of something from behind his gas mask that could be a grunt of disapproval.

"They also totaled my car. They're playing mind games, and you're living up to their wildest dreams, get a grip."

"Well, we can't just let them run loose and pretend the problem is going to solve itself. We should have picked them up days ago." said Sands.

"I must confess," started Dorian, "I was rather ignorant to have underestimated them two moths ago. The truth is, they are formidable opponents. The Sniper managed to outdraw and outshoot half a dozen of agents, Dr. Jekyll managed to reduce dozens of demons to a heap of dislocated organs, I know of personal experience what James Howlett is capable of, and while Skinner used to be nothing more than a crude drunk, he has developed an advanced sense of leadership and strategic skills."

"But, we're still better than them. We have the upper hand and don't you forget that, and in a few days, we'll be able to locate them with ease, until then, assume a state of alertness and stay calm."

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

Ethan Rayne's cat was an orange Tabei. Judas stroke its neck as it drank from a bowl of milk, Logan stood by in the kitchen by the fridge watching in bewilderment.

"What is that thing still doing here?" asked Logan.

"She has nowhere else to go, silly sausage."

"You're keeping it?"

"Oh, yes. I used to have a Siamese before I was locked up, I named him Theo. What does she look like to you?"

"It looks like a cat from where I'm standing."

"Helen maybe?" wondered Judas, "Or Sandy?"

"How about…" started Logan as he was trying to come up with a proper name and picking out a couple of bottles of beer, "Aw, throw it out, Jude. This is too creepy!"

Logan walked away and joined a very bored looking Turkish as he sat watching his heavily bandaged hand.

"OOO!" Judas hollered, "You look like a Peta, Yes! Peta shall be your name, Peta Kemp."

Judas paused, looking at the feline fondly as it drank.

"I'll tell you a secret, Peta. I plan on drinking you dry one of these days."

**_----------------_**

"How's the hand?" asked Logan.

"Hurts." said Turkish.

"We're moving out tomorrow, to a house in Putney."

"I heard."

"Beer?"

"I don't drink."

"Religious thing?"

"Yeah, but go ahead."

Logan bit the cap off and poured the liquid into his mouth and kept silent for several minutes.

"Did Jekyll clear you for action?"

"No."

"Well, you're a regular chatter box." said Logan, to which Turkish faintly smiled as the pair fell into silence again for a minute.

"Don't you remember anything from your past life?" asked Turkish as he felt in a mood for conversation.

"Just fragments, I remember being in Canada for some time, I remember growing up in a mansion."

"But no memory of family?"

"No, nothing like that."

"Have you tried jump-starting your memory?"

"I tried hypnosis, medication, magic, zen masters and everything except plumbing. It rarely does anything worth the trouble. Sometimes if I see a face I've seen before or I hear something I've heard before, I get memory flashes about it, but that rarely ever happens. It's all my fault."

"How so?"

"I volunteered to a military experiment to give me my claws, the trauma and the pain wiped out my memory."

"That bad, huh? I'll say, you must be rather frightened about finding out who you were."

"What d you mean?"

"Well, what if you learned you were not the noblest of men, or even in the top ninety percent? What if you learned you caused a lot of misery back in the day? I'm surprised you hadn't thought about that."

Logan took a swig of beer and looked ahead at the switched-off TV.

"Or didn't you?" asked Turkish.

"I did, a lot. My students tell me that was a totally different person and that whoever I turned out to have been, It won't change who I am to then."

"That's very enlightened of them."

"What the hell do they know? They're sixteen for Christ's sake!"

Turkish chuckled.

"What about you, I heard Natalya say you used to be a photographer."

"Natalya? Does she usually talk about me?" asked Turkish with some eagerness.

"No, she told Skinner you used to be a photographer so he'd tell you to photograph Dorian with his pants down, how did that go by the way?"

"I went, I saw, I took pictures. That Dorian is one _big_ sex maniac. What were we talking about?"

"How did…."

"…I become an assassin, quit right. Well, I used to be an independent photographer, I was working in India at the time. I came upon a group of foreigners executing some natives, I took pictures of it all. I don't know why they did it, and I don't know who they were, But they managed to get me locked up. I was malnourished and half-mad from all the solitary confinement, which is why you people find me generally laconic."

"Jesus!"

"But there was a man who saved me. His name was **Ra's Al Ghul**, have you ever heard of him?"

"No."

"Anyway, he offered me a home and a position in his army of Vigilantes who were called the **League of Shadow**, I was taught how to fight and exact violent justice, I was specifically trained to be a sharpshooter. After serving for some years, I became disenchanted with the whole thing and drifted away from them, Why? Because they were all mad as Arseholes! Now ask me why did I join you."

"Why did you?"

"Prior to my Departure, Ra's Al Ghul informed me he would need my help in obliterating a villainous opposing organization that has committed various crimes against humanity, the organization he was planning to wage war against was the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. However, Ra's and the League of Shadows were destroyed during a failed attempt at destroying Gotham City, which proves they were really crazy bastards."

"That doesn't answer my question, you said you drifted apart from them, so why continue their plans?"

"I really loved Ra's, he saved my life and was the closest thing to family that I had. And he was right in his position, the world would be better if not for the League."

"Well, I gotta tell you, hearing all that makes me feel a lot better."

"Why?"

"Oh, Judas and me were having this bet that you were a mole and that you'd kill us all, I didn't think so, though."

Turkish looked over his shoulder at Judas who was playing with Peta the cat.

"Well, he's mad as Arseholes himself. Did Skinner actually tell him to steal Rayne's cat?"

"No, he did it on his own."

They were both silent for a few moments before Logan said, "So, you and Natalya, huh?" with a grin.

"Sorry? There's no me and Natalya." Turkish retorted quickly with a slight stammer.

"Come on, we heard about you two having dinner together. You were really concerned about her when she got back from Italy. I've seen how you look at her, plus, your face lit up when I said she was talking about you."

"I'm that obvious, eh?"

"Yeah, did you sleep with her?"

"No, can't say that I have. Does anyone else know?"

"Jude suspects it, but he also suspects something going on with Jekyll and Skinner, Skinner knows, Jekyll knows but doesn't care, I think Dorian knows too!"

"Ha ha. Speaking of the devil, does seeing Dorian stir up any memories in you?"

"It actually did," said Logan, "I was focusing on his picture and I remember catching him off guard sometime in the fifties."

"What do you mean?"

"He was awkward, like I found out something about him that he wanted hidden. I think… I think I might know his weakness."

"Did you try remembering it?"

"There is no chance in hell I could do that."

"How about seeing him in person, did that do anything?"

"It made me remember how I really hated him."

There was a long pause.

"Does Natalya know?" asked Turkish.

"I don't think so. But then again, who knows women? Of course, you could tell her."

"I can't, Skinner told me to keep it to myself. Besides, I don't think she'll be too fond of me, seeing as how I almost got her rapped."

_**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

Sofie opened the envelope that was sent to her apartment, it had no return address on it. She looked into it and saw nothing but a single photo.

The picture was dark and grainy and it depicted a man in bed during carnal experience with two young women, the man's face was turned away but she could tell that he had dark black hair.

She instantly knew who it was intended to be, and who sent it. It was another of the Shadows' shenanigans, meant to mess with her trust of Dorian. She instantly walked away, deciding she wouldn't think about it, since it was such a devious and pathetic thing to dwell about.

_**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"We're making headway." said Natalya.

"Some good news at last," said Jekyll as he hovered above Natalya's shoulder as she sat at her computer, "What is it?"

"I've decrypted some of the files, the supposed meeting is happening tonight at midnight."

"Jesus," said Skinner, "That's four hours from now!"

"What about a location?"

"It should be coming up right about…now."

**_-----------------------------------------_**

_Crawley, West Sussex_

The building that most locales knew absolutely nothing abut was seeing strange activity at this time of night, as several cars and trucks drove in and out, several Agents crossed the surrounding area making sure no one would breach the vicinity.

A black Mercedes Benz with a **Ministry of Defense** license plate drove up to the building and a few Government Agents, whose appearance matched that of the League's except their suits were brown.

One of the Agents opened the door and out stepped Big Brother himself, dressed in well tailored clothes and displaying a general attitude sophistication and his sense of superiority.

Dorian Gray walked over to him and shook his hand.

"Good to finally meet again after all these years, Big Brother."

"Likewise, Mr. Gray."

**_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

_Heathrow Airport_

Two men walked out last out of their plane, they walked down onto British soil, a young pleasant woman was already on the runway.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Commander?"

"Yes, Tanner, It's good to be home."

* * *

R&R, or I'llkill someone very dead off. 


	15. Snake Eyes

_Alright, Here is the concluding chapter of the 3rd act. And a susuall, I urge you to review, it's what gets me out of bed every night._

_On a different note, did anyone buy the V for Vendetta Two Disk DVD? I hear the special features arn't worth a bag of pottatoe chips and was wondering if there is any truth to that beforeH head out and buy it._

* * *

Sofie Fatale, Dorian Gray and the man knows as Big Brother stood in a cabin with glass windows overlooking a massive space where several agents, specialists and a handful of operatives were moving around to make sure the whole thing would work properly.

"That's not 'The Eye', is it?" asked Big Brother as he gestured towards a massive computer in the center of the ground below.

"No, it receives a limited information stream from the Eye, which will be sufficient for the night." answered Dorian.

Aside from the computer, there were several complex looking structures, some were high-tech while others looked arcane, most notably was a carved metallic structure comprised of several interlocking wheels. Cables ran all over the place almost covering the ground entirely. Ethan Rayne and Kroenen were near the computer having a conversation, barely understandable on Ethan side, since Kroenen was missing a pair of lips that made his speech barely understandable.

"He's right there, you say?" asked Rayne, "Right in the cabin? Well, this certainly raises my stress level."

Big Brother eyed Mr. Trick in disdain as he walked around issuing orders to several Agents.

_**--------------------------**_

Logan pulled his claws out of the Agent's back before letting the body slump to the ground.

He quietly dragged him to a dark area where he wasn't likely to be found soon and then left looking for the others, hoping not to encounter any others on the way as he stalked in the vicinity of the research facility, stealth never was his thing.

He found them by a back entrance where they had somehow opened a door and were waiting for him so they could sneak in.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Turkish took off his bandage in frustration, the pain still was there but he simply ignored it as he used his injured hand to open the fridge and take out a bottle of Pepsi that stuck out from between dozens of beers, his hand throbbed as he twisted the cap open.

"Bugger.." he cursed when Natalya walked into the kitchen, she didn't seem to be expecting to see him there.

"Oh," she said, "I was... just going to get a bottle of water."

Natalya and Turkish didn't talk to each other since the other night when their life and dignity were jeopardized, and he'd felt guilty for putting her in that situation.

Natalya opened the fridge as he stepped back and kneeled down to look for the desired bottle.

Turkish found himself staring at her back side as she looked for the bottle, he didn't have the will or presence of mind to look away until she stood up and looked at him.

"What?" she asked as she noticed he was looking straight at her.

"Nothing." he said.

She went to leave, at this moments Turkish decided to come out and say it plain and simple.

"I'm sorry."

"What?" she asked as she turned around.

"I'm sorry I put you in that situation." said Turkish as he bowed, "If I had picked a different restaurant, or didn't ask you out, you would have never been in that situation."

"Turkish," she said, "Nothing happened, it was real close, you were almost killed yourself which is just as bad as what was going to happen to me. I'm not angry at all."

"Oh… Good."

"Besides, if we didn't go, we would have never got those disks."

"Disks, right, how's that going?"

"Not too good, not all the disks were encrypted in the same manner, which means I have several folds the work to do if they were all encrypted alike."

"Well, good luck with it anyway."

She turned to leave, then looked back.

"Turkish?"

"Hmm?"

"_Did_ you ask me out?"

"Sorry?"

"That night at the restaurant, was it really meant as a setting to persuade me or was it like… a date?"

"I don't know…" he said, "Would it be too terrible if It was supposed to be a date?"

"No, not too terrible… Just complicated."

"I see."

"You're nicer than you let on, and have your qualities, that fact is…. I had a little crush on you too. But I've been with your type before, and it hurt me."

"My type?"

"You remember that I told you about the man I knew that was killed by the League? He was a British Spy, and he didn't cheat on me, I left him because the thrill of his job was his true love. I can't be involved with you, Sorry."

"Don't flatter yourself," said Turkish with a chuckle, trying to save some face, "It was just dinner; I was not looking _to be _'involved'"

"Oh, so you just wanted a screw?"

"Come on, I didn't say that!"

"I have work to do." she said as she walked to the study where her two computers were processing date.

"Natalya, wait." said Turkish as he felt guilty and went after her, "Do you want the truth, yes, I have a thing for you, I don't love you or anything like that. I just find you familiar."

"What are you talking about?"

"You probably already figured it out, figured out that I'm the long wolf type, being what I am and all. It's not too often that I find someone who touched me the way you do, it's nothing you said or did, it's something you are."

"What am I?"

"You're wonderful to talk to, you're too kind for your own sake… and I think your nose is very adorable. That makes little sense to you, I'm sure. But that's how I feel."

**_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

Through the use of some force and some stealth, the four had managed to infiltrate the facility, it wasn't difficult to figure out where FATE was as they could hear the activity very clearly.

One of them opened a door slightly, and peeked out to see the hive of moving men and activated machinery, it all looked to surreal to them. They stepped out and hid behind a large wooden crate. Skinner took out a small digital video camera and started filming the surroundings.

"So this is Project FATE in action," Judas said, "Now, what is it?"

"Look." said Skinner as he gestured towards the cabin aright under the roof across the distance from them with two-way windows.

"I'll bet my arm that's where Dorian is at." Jekyll said, stating the obvious.

_**-----------------------**_

"We'll now perform a demonstration," said Dorian, "Using one of the Shadows as an objective."

His order went through his earpiece, the order was received by a technician standing before the computer below and he started typing.

_**-----------------**_

There seemed to be an increase in the Machines' activity, the wheels of the arcane apparatus started to spin in place like an iron tornado.

"This can't be good." said Skinner.

Skinner was by no way wrong as he said that, because after a minute or so, the present Agents suddenly knew where alerted to them and charged at them, firing their guns like there was no tomorrow.

Logan stepped in front of Skinner and took several bullets to the chest as he pushed the three back through the door.

The bullet wounds healed quickly and Logan could breathe easy once again.

"Bloody Hell!" Judas exclaimed, "How could they have seen us?"

"How indeed?" said Jekyll with an altered voice as his eyes turned hazel, he was once again preparing to tap into his powers.

"What now, are we legging it?" asked Judas.

"We can't escape, we have to stop it." said Skinner.

"But we're outnumbered! And we don't even know what they're doing!"

"Whatever it is, it can't be good. Let's vote," said Skinner, "Jekyll?"

"I'm game." said Jekyll as his voice grew animalistic and his figure started to grow, his shirt started to shred.

"Logan?"

Logan simply extended his claws with a sharp metallic sound and bolted out the door with a powerful growl.

"Oh, bollocks!" Judas said as the democratic choice to stay and fight was made. Jekyll –now fully grown- charged out with a growl of his own. Skinner turned the camera off and stuck it in his pocket

Jekyll took a shotgun blast in the chest, which angered him into giving the shooter a powerful blow that sent him as well as two others flying through the air.

Logan jumped through the air, his body was shot full of bullets as he flew but he was almost healed when he descended and plunged the six claws into the necks of two Agents.

Judas took machine gun from a fallen Agent and fired it into half a dozen of Agents as they approached, and as it clicked empty, he pulled out his Tulwar sword from the sheath strapped to his back and sliced forward, cutting two throats in the process.

**_----------------------------_**

"Jesus Christ," Big Brother said in a near whisper as he looked at Mutant-Jekyll, Logan and Judas, "What fires of Hell forged these men?"

"Mmm, yes." said Doran, "Well, we have some formidable opponents of our own."

**_---------------------------_**

Ethan Rayne was a man of letters and magic rather than combat, so he opted to retreat and leave everyone else to fight as he tended to his safety.

Kroenen shed off his leather coat as he advanced calmly towards Logan, the blades attached to his forearms were about to taste the sickly sweet blood once more.

Jekyll relished at the pleasure that the exercise of his violence brought him, there were plenty of blood-packed meat-sacks to bludgeon, and he would make the most of it.

Kemp's eyes fell upon the cocky face of Mr. Trick who smiled smugly at him.

"Mr. Trick…"

"Mr. Kemp."

"I'm going to enjoy killing you."

All the fear and hesitation in Judas evaporated at the sight of his nemesis, he charged at him with his sword which was thickly coated with human blood that was being spilled like mad all the time.

For a second, he could almost see himself turning Trick into a handful of dust, but then all hi aggression and rage gave way to exquisite pain as dozen's of bullets plunged into his back.

"Some other time, maybe." said Trick as Judas's vision blurred.

_**-----------**_

Logan felt a dampness in his arm, so he looked at it and noticed that a portion of his flesh was missing from his arm below the shoulder. The pain then hit him, and he then first noticed Kroenen as he stood by him, whose calm breaths were made loud by the gas mask he wore.

A blade was coming down to chop his head off, which he managed to block with three of his claws.

"You could have cut my arm off, bub! What the fuck's wrong with you?"

Kroenen soon found himself flying through the air after a heavy punch, and was about to fully experience the pain that came with being on the receiving end of Logan's aggression.

_**-----------**_

Jekyll looked around himself, they were doing well, they were causing serious damage to the League's Agents, Logan was even capably fighting Kroenen.

So why the rotten feeling? Why did he expect something was about to go wrong?

His attention was shifted to the spinning arcane apparatus, which apparently had a very significant role in the entire experiment, which by any chance, could only mean something horrible.

He had to destroy it.

_**---------------------------**_

"Your men are loosing!" said Big Brother angrily as he, Dorian and Sofie looked down on the battle.

Dorian looked with an arrogant calm at him, before speaking into his earpiece, "** Mr. Marko?** We're in need of your assistance."

Sofie was looking upon the ground below them, Jekyll was too big to miss, Logan and Kroenen were plunging their blades into each other like madmen, Judas was feeding on an Agent to restore the blood that he had lost.

But where was Skinner?

**_-----------_**

Jekyll advanced towards the machine, wielding a thick metal bar he'd torn out of a wall. He was going to destroy the machine, and hopefully foil this whole project.

Something collided with him and hurled him several feet in the air before a wall got in his way.

As he flew, Jekyll wondered what creature, what abomination of nature could physically be able to do what had been done to his hulking monstrous self?

His eyes red with rage, Jekyll got up and looked at who and whatever was that threw him like that.

He was huge, though still smaller than him, he was over seven feet in height, his entire body was packed with muscles upon muscles and his head was shaved bald, he was dressed in jeans, a jackboot and a massive black coat over his bare torso.

"So you're the Big Bad Mr. Hyde, eh?" said the brute in a cockney accent.

"It's Dr. Jekyll." said Jekyll as he got up, "And you, are a dead man." he continued as he lunged at his opponent with all his ruthless tenacity.

_**-----------**_

"Dorian, " said Sofie, "Where is Skinner?"

There was a sudden knock of a small object being thrown against the window from the outside and falling out of their view, and while Big Brother and Sofie wandered what it was, Dorian pushed them both down.

The grenade exploded below the window and sent shards of glass into the cabin, Skinner then jumped in and crouched on the ledge.

"Big Brother I presume?" said Skinner as he saw the prominent looking man on the ground.

"Adam, Sofie, get out!" said Dorian as he jumped between Skinner and Sofie and Big Brother, who scrambled out the door which closed behind them.

They were alone suddenly, the Rogue and the Immortal, thorns in each other's sides for the past months.

"You knows, Skinner. I'm impressed. I would have expected you to fail or give up weeks ago."

" Hmm. Not much for your famous last words, but they'll have to do."

Skinner raised a sawed-off shotgun and aimed it at Dorian's face, the latter's eyes widened in disbelief as he was genuinely not expecting the hollow black barrel to hang two inches away from his face.

"Rot in Hell, Gray." said Skinner as he pulled the trigger.

_**-----------**_

Logan was still fighting Kroenen when he noticed Jekyll fighting with a formidable opponent, upon seeing the newcomer, Wolverine was overcome with a sense of familiarity.

"Oh, no." he said to himself as he suddenly remembered who it was.

The sight of Jekyll's opponent distracted him for a second, which was more than enough for Kroenen to plunge a blade into his heart.

_**-----------**_

Skinner looked upon the headless body of Dorian Gray, the power of the Shotgun's discharge was strong enough to blow Dorian's head into bits that stuck to the wall at the moment.

He had long anticipated this day, this moment, and it seemed anticlimactic, too abrupt. If this was a book or a play, he'd consider it a serious error on the part of the author.

But Dorian was just as did, and he'd settle for that.

He turned around to look at the ground below, it was time to go the rest of the way.

From his jacket, Skinner took a grenade and hurled it at the massive computer which was integral for the operation of Project FATE.

Seconds passed before it exploded, blowing the computer into scraps of metal, shattered glass and burned circuit boards.

He took out a second grenade, pulled the pin and hurled it at Kroenen who was preparing to behead a fallen Logan.

The grenade exploded and both men were blown in opposite directions from the power of the explosion but remained alive and intact.

Skinner was about to throw another grenade at the Arcane Machine that Jekyll's opponent seemed very eager to protect. But just as he was about to pull the pin, he heard a sound behind him.

In shock, Skinner watched as something grew out of the bloody stomp that used to be Dorian's neck. First, bone vertebrates grew back then the base of a skull, the skull then began filling with flesh and was covered with muscles.

"What the…?"

_**-----------**_

The punches rained down on Jekyll's body, he responded with all his might but couldn't do much when he was grabbed by the leg and catapulted into the wall.

He was feeling enormous amounts of pain as the powerhouse of a man was beating him senseless, his fatigue grew to a degree so severe that he started to change back into his normal, weaker self and fell to the ground unconscious.

The Juggernaut picked up the bar that Mutant-Jekyll had intended to use to destroy the Arcane Machine, and smiled in glee as he was preparing to impale the man in shredded clothes.

Judas jumped onto his back out of nowhere and sank his fangs into his neck, while Logan ran full speed towards him and buried his shoulder into the Juggernaut's stomach, knocking him into the machine which's spinning rings hit forcefully in the back of the head, right after Judas had jumped off.

_**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"I don't think I can do this."

Natalya and Turkish were standing by the balcony in the darkness, the moonlight fell on her and Turkish felt it made her eyes look more beautiful than anything he had ever seen.

"We could be dead next week."

"I know."

Slowly, they closed their eyes and leaned towards each other, their lips gently met and they're arms wrapped around each other. She smelt like summer nights, though Natalya briefly as their tongues collided.

The phone started ringing, neither wanted to break the kiss but were forced to do so as it could very well mean something horrible was about to ensue.

"Hello?" said Turkish as he answered the phone.

_'Turkish? Get Natalya out of there, I've sent someone over to help you move all the equipment.' _came Skinner's voice.

"What's wrong?"

_'Just do as I say! Go to the new quarters.'_

"Alright, Fuck, I'll do it!"

_**-----------**_

"Jesus Christ!" Skinner exclaimed.

Dorian's head was now fully regenerated, the sight of which had caused Skinner to develop some nausea and feel monumentally doomed.

"You can't kill me, Skinner. I'm beyond the pettiness of man… I'm beyond alive... I am a _god_."

Dorian then got up and punched Skinner -who was still in shock- in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

**_---------------------------_**

"Where's Skinner?" asked Jekyll who was only half conscious as he was being dragged away by Judas and Logan.

"Dorian's cabin." said Judas.

"We… you have to.."

"Yeah, Okay." said Logan, "Jude, stay with him."

"I don't mind at all."

**_-------------------------------------_**

"James, how lovely of you to drop by." said Dorian, ever so arrogantly as he stood above a fallen Skinner, after Logan had came bursting in.

"Leave him alone, Gray."

"Oh, how familiar! Do you remember an incident much like this?"

Logan was silent, it did all feel remarkably familiar.

"You don't, do you?"

Logan extended his claws abruptly.

"Let's not fight, James. It's pointless, neither of us can win." said Dorian as he head to the door.

"You can take him away, you'll have to deal with the Agents on your own."

"What?"

"I'm giving you a head start."

"Why?"

"For old times' sake. And because I owed you, but now, we're even. Next time I see you, we will fight, and you will die."

* * *

_Dun dun DUN! Will they escape in time? Who is Big Brother? Who is the tall Handsome Man? Who the Hell thinks Seinfeld is Funny? _

_R&R._


	16. Dues Ex Machina

_Alright, I'm still not getting much reviews, but I'm going to let it go due to the increase in the number of hits per chapter. Enjoy._

* * *

The Following Morning…

The Shadows all sat eating around the kitchen island, last night was a bitter occurrence for most of them, on count of the injuries they received or the awkwardness that followed that kiss of Turkish and Natalya's which they have kept for themselves.

Their escape was difficult, Logan punctured the tires of all cars of the League so they couldn't follow them, but he missed a couple so they were chased back to London and only managed to shake them off by ditching their car and carjacking a group of passing teenagers. Chas the cab driver had aided in helping Natalya and Turkish in moving to their new apartment. Once they managed to return, Jekyll tended to everyone's injuries and they retired to get some much needed rest.

"The man who attacked Jekyll is a mutant," said Logan as he ate, "His names is Caine Marko, but they call him the Juggernaut."

"Did you ever fight him?" asked Skinner.

"Yeah, I fought him…" said Logan, "And lost."

"Do you know anyone who defeated him?" asked Jekyll.

"Yeah, I do..." said Logan awkwardly, "There was this girl…"

"She must've been Huuuge!" commented Judas.

"Not really, she was skinny and… ehem… five feet tall."

Silence fell upon the group, and then they burst laughing.

"Oh, that's bloody priceless!"

"Pass the pancakes."

Logan's statement seemed to lighten up the mood and spirits were not so low anymore as they brushed last night off and started thinking ahead.

"Did any of you see that Ministry of Defense car?" asked Logan.

"Come again?" asked Jekyll.

"There was a Benz with a ministry license plate by the facility, what do you think of it?"

"I don't know, but… Jesus!"

"What?"

"I totally forgot! I saw Big Brother last night."

"You saw who?" asked Jekyll as silence fell once again.

"He was in the cabin with Dorian and Sofie, he got out quickly though."

"Is it safe to assume that Big Brother words for M.O.D.?"

"I would think so."

"FATE must be really serious in that case." said Natalya, "Does any of it strike a cord with anyone?"

"I've got nothing," said Judas, "Though it looked like they were mixing the occult with cutting edge technology."

"Probably a weapon." Turkish mumbled.

"That's very likely." said Skinner, "We need to get the film I shot analyzed, show it to someone who knows about these things."

"We also need to investigate that facility in West Sussex, It must have some significance since it would have been easier to do it in London." said Jekyll.

"Good idea. Natalya, I need you to come up with Big Brother's identity. His first name is Adam, he's five feet-nine inches tall, in his late forties to early fifties, dark haired and Caucasian. Search within the Ministry of Defense."

"Okay."

"How is the decrypting going on?"

"I need more time, maybe a day or two."

"You better hurry, time is running out. Whatever FATE is, I suspect they're going to get it back in working order very soon and I don't want to be in the dark when it does."

**_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

**L.H.Q.**

"They caused a lot of damages, mainly to the computer system, but all vital machines are still functional." said Sofie as she sat at Dorian's side in her office, "The damages will require a few days to fix before it's transported to **Asgard**, after that it will be fully functional."

"Good, have Big Brother made any contact?"

"No, not at all, probably still too outraged."

"Yes, well… We can't do much about the old fop, can we?"

"We just need to keep standing for this week, once FATE is in full motion, the Shadows will be gone."

"Hmm. The more I hear about that, the better I feel about this job."

They both smiled as they got closer to each other, their lips met for a deep kiss.

There was a knock on the door so they parted and Dorian got up and walked out.

"I'll see you tonight." he said as Sofie's secretary walked in with an envelope.

"This just came in for you."

"Thank you, Zoë."

She opened the envelope as Zoë left and pulled out a picture.

Horrified, shocked and disgusted, she looked at the picture which showed Dorian, nude, in bed with two young and equally nude women.

"Oh no…"

**_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

"Commander," said Tanner, "I have news."

Both Tanner and the tall handsome man were staying in an expensive suite the Ritz Hotel.

"Report."

"There was an assault by the Shadows on a League-run research facility in Crawley, West Sussex."

"Project FATE?"

"Yes, Sir. They managed to do some damage but were injured as well, they barely escaped and their headquarters was discovered, they had vacated it in the last second."

"Do you believe they might know what FATE is?"

"Not likely, their acts were probably a result of their instincts."

"Right, well, do you know where their new quarters are? I must contact them."

"I'm working on that, Sir."

**_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

"Did you find anything useful?" asked Jekyll.

"Yes! In early February of forty-three a line of bombs fell on the town centre of Crawley killing two people. This area has yet to be rebuilt. "

"Lot's of boring shite, eh?"

Jekyll and Kemp were sitting in a library amidst dozens of books and manuscripts detailing the mind numbing history of Sussex and Crawley, they were the only ones there with the exception of a snoozing young scholar and the old librarian doing the crossword puzzle.

"You know, we could sneak in a case of bear."

"Alright, that's enough banter. Focus on the books."

Judas jadedly pulled another manuscript towards him which read, _'The Mystical Significance of Sussex _by_ Trevor Bruttenholm, PhD'_.

He went on reading for ten minutes before alerting Jekyll.

"I think I've found somethin'."

"What is it?"

"It seems Crawley is a regular Mecca for those into the occult, It's been reported to have been visited by such noted supernaturalists such as Ambrose Bierce, Sar Dubonal, Roderick Burgess and a Doctor Sax. It had some major significance for pagan tribes before Christianity due to a high concentration of ley lines."

"Ley lines?"

"They're hypothetical alignments of a number of places of interest, such as ancient monuments and the likes, though some believe them to have mystical value as well, and apparently, some magnetic energy to it as well. The theory is, if you travel along some of these lines, you're going to experience some sort of ethereal connection to the cosmos."

"So, you're saying that they chose Crawley as a location for the facility because it hold a powerful magical energy."

"Yeah, it sounds like a load of tripe if you ask me, but it's worth looking into."

_**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

Natalya sat before the laptop as it revealed the identity of Big Brother after hours of searching.

"Hi." said Turkish as he walked in.

"Oh, hi. I discovered who Big Brother is." said Natalya.

"Oh?"

Turkish leaned over her shoulder and stared at the screen, reading aloud, "Rear Admiral **Adam Sutler** … Falkland Isles … Ministry of Defense … Fundamentalist Conservative with ties to the B.N.P. . Sounds like a real prince."

"Where is everyone?" she asked as he straightened up and stepped back.

"Out, Logan is still here."

"How is your hand?"

"Not so bad."

Natalya turned around in her chair to speak to him as he sat at a chair by the window.

"Listen, about last night…"

"Do you want to pretend it never happened?"

"No! Nothing like that. Why, do you?"

"No, not at all. So what do you want to do?"

"Skinner gave me a speech that day about getting emotionally involved with…"

"I know, he gave me the same sermon."

"I figured he did. The fact is: he's not wrong."

"Oh."

"I don't mean that in a bad way, I'm just saying that we should keep it professional until this is all over."

"Alright, I can handle that."

"Or at least try to look professional."

"Oh, good. Because I'm not sure I could have handled _being_ professional."

Natalya smiled as both leaned forward in their chairs for a kiss when suddenly as the were centimeters apart, they heard a groan from the outside, they both sprang back as Logan walked in.

"What the hell were you doing?" he asked.

"Err."

"Natalya discovered who Big Brother is."

"Oh yeah?"

Logan read the vitals on the screen.

"Oh, you really did. Did you know there is no beer in the fridge?"

"I haven't noticed."

_**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

Skinner walked by shop fronts as he spoke with Jekyll on his cell phone.

"Did you find anything?" asked Skinner.

_"Jude came up with a lot of information about ley lines and mysticism and bog I don't understand, you?"_

"I showed the tape to some academic types, one told me that computer used is the type used to regulate CCTV, some historian told me that the spinning machine is made of Ancient Egyptian Artifacts used to search for lost treasure."

_"It all seems mismatched."_

"Yeah, let's hope Natalya is about to earn her keep very soon. Are you done?"

_"Yes, but Jude wants to consult some of his friends."_

"Fine, I need to hit some of my contacts too. I'll be at the flat by evening."

_"Alright, take care."_

"Bye."

Unbeknownst to Skinner, he was being watched from across the street by Tanner and the Commander.

"Do you realize the future of the world may rest on that man's shoulders?" asked Tanner as he looked at Skinner as he walked into a shop.

"They're not his alone."

"Yes, but he leads them, I have to say I'm not going to bet the castle on a team lead by a man who is Rodney Skinner, sure, they've exceeded our expectation for some time, but their luck won't last forever."

"You never know, Tanner."

_**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

The Shadows had gathered in the hall of their apartment as Jekyll and Skinner both displayed a worried expression, Jekyll stood before the group explaining what FATE had turned out to be.

"We had analyzed the tape, researched the location of the facility where FATE was being tested and fully decrypted all the disks. Putting all our findings together and using some deductive reasoning, we have discovered the purpose and nature of Project FATE. It is not a weapon, but something just as bad; it's a mass surveillance system. Apparently, it has the ability to discover the whereabouts and monitor any individual employing the use of Internet technology and magical divination rituals, which explains how they discovered our presence last night. They were trying it out and used Logan, Jude, Skinner andor myself as a subject."

"Wait, it doesn't sound that bad." said Judas.

"It is." said Skinner, "Once it's fully operational, the league will be able to spy on everything and everyone, more specifically, they will be able to eradicate every last Shadow Operative within a month."

"Oh, it is that bad." said Judas.

"Not to mention that simple privacy will be lost forever." said Logan.

Jekyll continued, "The two cornerstones of FATE are a machine composed of ancient artifacts that makes use of the ley lines concentrated in Crawley, and a computer that receives a limited data stream from the All-Seeing-Eye supercomputer, so it has it's limits and can only do s much. However, the aforementioned computer will be eventually replaced with the All-Seeing-Eye itself, in which case, it will need no Ley lines to operate, and at that point, it will have limitless power and will enable Big Brother or Adam Sutler as he is actually known to monitor every individual in England, and very soon, Europe; it's easy to figure out what would happen next."

Skinner stood up and faced the seated four and said, "We have wounded FATE but haven't killed it, we can not afford for it to heal and merge with 'The Eye', and so, we will wage our final battle against the league."

The statement was entirely sudden and questionable, and they all maintained their posture as they tried to figure out how to react.

"I know what you're thinking, we still haven't gotten back the intelligence we've been looking for all this time and we've been back for a little over a week, but we can't wait any longer."

Later…

Tanner, the Commander and the woman that had received them from the airport stood before the apartment building they had witnessed Skinner enter. It was time.

_**-------------------------------**_

The group had once again disassembled to contemplate matters each on their own, while Logan was engaging Jekyll and Skinner in a heated conversation, they didn't notice as the trio had walked in through the unlocked front door.

"The Shadow Brigade, I presume?" asked the tall handsome Commander with a smile.

First there was surprise, then there was confusion, then alarm, then hostility as Logan slowly extended his claws. Meanwhile, Jekyll was feeling that the handsome face with the chiseled jaw was oddly familiar.

"Now, Logan," said the commander, "It's not very hospitable to flash your claws at possible allies."

"Allies?" asked Skinner, "Before we kill, disfigure and dump you, would you mind telling us who the fuck are you?"

"Oh, please allow me to introduce myself…"

_**---------------------------**_

Turkish had found Natalya in the kitchen, she smiled genuinely at him and after making sure no one was looking, he leaned to kiss her deeply.

"I've been waiting all day to do that." he said with a smile as they parted.

"James!" asked Natalya as she looked out the door.

"What?"

_**--------------------------**_

"My name is Bond," said the commander, "James Bond."

_

* * *

Alright, now, you have to review. Anything will do, opinions, praise, sugestions,critique, recipes for onion soup, anything._


	17. Iscariot

_Turkish is sort of an original character, he is supposed to be a former member of the League of Shadows from the movie **Batman Begins**, he's supposed to have left before Bruce Wayne joined and went into business for himself, he is very loosely based upon Mehmet Ali Agca, a real life apolitical Turkish Assassin (I'm not attempting to glorify Agca in anyway)._

_This story is coming to a close, so I urge you to review._

_**

* * *

While some paused to remember who James Bond is, Natalya walked over and slapped the Commander across the cheek, making everybody flinch.**_

"You bastard!" she barked, "I though you were dead."

"Natalya, I'm touched." said Bond as he nursed his throbbing cheek and Natalya retreated.

"Alright, what in the name of St. Fuck is going on?" demanded Judas.

"This man is the one who ran away with the Intelligence dossiers we've initially based our work upon." said Skinner quietly as he inspected the spy, "Or so he claims to be."

"I don't claim for a second." said the man who claimed to be Bond, "I am James Bond, Double-O-"

"Yeah yeah, save it for the tourists," said Logan, "You're supposed to be dead."

"The keyword is supposed." said the woman at Bond's side.

"Oh, how rude of me." said Bond, "These are my associates, Mr. Bill Tanner and Ms. Jane Moneypenny."

"Hold on," said Jekyll, "Natalya, Where do you know him from?"

"We've met." said Natalya as she crossed her arms, "He's basically… why I joined you."

"And I wasn't informed because…?" asked Skinner.

"You wouldn't have agreed."

"Of course I wouldn't! Haven't you listened to my emotional-will-get-you-killed speech?"

"Isn't this whole think about revenge?"

"Don't go there!"

"And you!" said Skinner as he turned towards Bond, "You were killed in Cairo, your remains were taken to L.H.Q. and identified as yours. Who was that supposed to be?"

"I'll explain all that, just calm down."

_**­­­­­-------------**_

"Shadow Operatives had been trying to do what you're doing for years, but none had the courage to go forth with it." started Bond as he was seated facing everyone else, "Shadow Operatives such as Michael McGregor, yourselves and Herbert Mawdsley."

"Who is Herbert Mawdsley?"

"He is the deceased younger brother of Barbara Mawdsley, current director of SIS, otherwise known as **M**. He also was a Shadow Operative. His assassination last year sparked his sister to take action, so she asked me to infiltrate the organization in an unofficial mission, which was easy since they constantly made me offers to join. The plan was that I'd do their bidding, get deep while collecting intelligence all the while then get out." Bond explained then paused before continuing,

"I stumbled upon something of great importance, a top secret project referred to as FATE. However, my cover was blown before I could investigate any further. I was done and I had to escape with what I had."

"So you're claim your allegiance was never with the League?"

"Yes, I escaped and managed to elude them for several moths but I couldn't run forever, so I contacted McGregor while I was in Cairo, of course I didn't give him everything I had."

"Why not?"

"I had to make sure it would be actually used, I had full intention to give him the rest once someone was prepared to do something."

"And why didn't you?"

"I did. I sent you what I had left, but by the time it reached London you had disappeared after your house was blown up."

"Wait; hold on," said Skinner, "You still haven't explained how come you've risen from the grave."

"It wasn't me that was killed, but a double. During the cold war, K.G.B. trained an agent of theirs to act like me and even had his appearance surgically altered to look like me in an attempt to infiltrate MI6. This agent had quit the KGB but was still an enemy of mine, during the three months in which I was at large, I managed to lure him to Cairo, I made copies of what I had and left the originals with him, and before I had left the League I had swapped his medical records for mine. So he was killed in my place and when he was sent back, forensics matched his body to his records instead of mine. And thus, I had made the great escape."

"How do we know any of that is true?" asked Logan.

"If I was from the League, the League already knows you're here and I wouldn't be here but several Agents with itchy trigger fingers would be surrounding you."

"Alright, let's assume all that is true. What do you want now?"

"I want to give you this." said Bond as he slapped a dossier onto the coffee table.

"Those are schematics for the League's Headquarters, It is everything you need."

Just like that, a big weight was gone.

"How about the All-Seeing-Eye?" asked Jekyll as he flipped through the dossier.

"I know it's located in Greenwich, that's the extent of my knowledge. I also offer my services as well as those of Mr. Tanner and Ms. Moneypenny."

"You're a confident bastard, aren't you?" said Judas.

"My reputation precedes me; you know I can be of big help."

"Now wait just a minute." said Skinner, "We don't believe a word you said, until we're sure, you're staying here. The same goes for your cronies."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." said Bond with a smile.

_**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"I though you were dead," said Natalya, "I was filled with so much furry."

She and Bond were sitting in the study in the evening; Moneypenny and Tanner were being interrogated by Jekyll and Skinner, to make sure they were working for MI6.

"I was told," said Bond softly, "I think you doing this is the greatest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"Well, it wasn't entirely for you, I also need the money."

"Do you still live in London?"

"No, I now live in Edinburgh. I've been working freelance."

There was a pause.

"You know, you got me really worried when I knew you'd joined on the count of me."

"And?"

"Well, it got me thinking. Perhaps my priorities have been wrong all along, perhaps…"

"Don't get started."

"Why not?"

"Just don't, don't claim that what had happened may have changed you, and who am I but one in a row of trophies?"

"You're more than that to me, Natalya; I always wondered what could have been."

"Please, stop."

There was a beat.

"People change, you know."

"Though most don't."

"Is there someone else?"

"That's not the point. It's just… Oh my god." said Natalya in exasperation as she put a hand to her head.

"What?" asked Bond.

"I've really missed you."

Slowly and instinctively, Natalya and Bond came closer for a kiss, their first in ten years.

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

Turkish watched the kiss from a slight gap in the door, and then he bitterly buried his hands into his pockets and walked away, his eyes devoid of anger, sadness or jealousy, devoid on any human emotion in fact.

"Turkish! What's the score?" asked Judas cheerfully as he passed him in the hall

"What indeed?"

"Eh!"

He cracked the bones of his injured hand, causing a painful yet relieving sensation; he pushed the door to his room open and reached for his rifle and a clip of rock salt bullets.

He stepped out of the apartment and into the elevator which lead him to the roof, he paused and took a deep breath of the warm slightly polluted air as he marveled at the cityscape and slipped the clip into the chamber of the rifle. He was soon looking through the scope and firing at random target that varied between a double parked VW to a discarded bottle on the pavement. Imagining the handsome face on them as he pulled the trigger.

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"Well?" Jekyll asked Natalya as she left the study leaving Bond by himself, "Is it him?"

"Yes." she said, "He's Bond. He knows things only he could know."

"Are you sure?" asked Skinner.

"There is no doubt." she said as she gave him one of those looks and walked away.

"Oh, so you're _sure_!"

Jekyll then turned to Skinner, "So, the schematics he gave us must be genuine."

"Yeah."

"I can't believe it; we're going through with this thing, aren't we?"

"It looks like it. We better start with the first phase of our plan."

"Shouldn't we let Bond in, first?"

"Oh, certainly."

Jekyll and Skinner walked in on Bond as he sat waiting for them.

"Do you want in?" asked Skinner.

"Yes."

"Well, then, welcome to the Mutiny. It's best we start filling you in. Big Brother is a Ministry of Defense official, his name is Adam Sutler. FATE is a powerful mass surveillance and espionage system capable of finding and monitoring anyone, anywhere, behind hidden walls and overseas in a matter of minutes. It's been temporarily taken out of the equation, but once it is fully operational again, and that'll be soon. There will be no more hiding for Shadows, as a matter of fact, by next month, there will be no Shadows."

"Good god!" said Bond, "What do you plan on doing?"

"We've already prepared a five day plan; this is how it goes…."

_**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**The Following Morning…**

Rear Admiral Adam Sutler marched on through the corridors of the ministry of defense, heading towards his office. He was still angered by the other night's occurrences, but determined to do his job nonetheless. Once he was at his secretary's desk, he collected the day's worth of mail and messages and waltzed into his ample well-furnished office.

"Adam! I though you weren't going to come in today!"

"Who are you?" Sutler asked in shock, "How did you managed to get in here?"

Judas was seated on Sutler's leather chair behind Sutler's mahogany desk, "I have my ways." he said, "Please, don't be alarmed, and don't call for help or open that door either."

"Who.. are.. you?" asked Sutler angrily through gritted teeth.

"Never mind 'who', the question should be 'what'. What I am is one of those members of the Shadow Brigade as you people have aptly dubbed us."

Sutler suddenly had a reason to worry.

"I said Don't be alarmed, I'm not here to harm you."

"Why, then?"

"I have a deal to make."

"You've come to barter an arrangement on behalf of the rest of you lot?"

"No, just me. They don't know I'm here."

"What makes you think I want anything you have to offer?"

"Because I know you do, Admiral. I can offer you the rest of the Shadows."

"In exchange for what?"

"Admiral, ol' Son. Being a chum of the B.N.P., I imagine you're not too fond of Mr. Trick, are you?"

"Go on."

"I will provide you with information of my selection about the Shadows' operations and so on, you will then pass the information on to the League, of course. In return, I want to be able to settle some unfinished business with Mr. Trick under my terms. Also, I want a free pardon, once the Shadows are caught, executed or whatever, I will be free to go without reprisal or imprisonment, I'm counting on your word as a god fearing man."

"I don't believe you."

"I though you wouldn't," said Judas as he slapped some pictures on the table, "Behold, a Resurrection!"

The pictures were of Bond and Logan talking, obviously taken without their knowledge. Sutler picked them up and inspected them.

"They weren't doctored or tampered in any way. That's a picture of James Bond, presumed dead, but actually very alive and newly recruited into the Shadow Brigade."

Sutler put down the pictures.

"Alright, I'm convinced. And… I accept."

"Beautiful."

"What is your name?"

"Oh," said Judas as he bowed like an old fashioned thespian, "Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste."

"What!"

"Fuck, mate. Haven't you ever listened to the Rolling Stones? I guess not, very well, my name is Judas Kemp."

"Judas? How appropriate."

* * *

Did you see it coming? R&R. 


	18. Shadow Boxing

Turkish looked at Natalya out the corner of his eye as she entered the kitchen while he was reading the morning paper. She approached him before he said, "Logan's right outside."

"Oh, thanks for the heads up."

She poured herself a cup of coffee and took a scone out if the fridge.

"So, he's the spy?"

"Yes, he's the spy. This won't be an issue, is it?"

"No, it won't. What's the news?"

"Sex, death and human grime. The whole world is going to hell in a bucket wrapped in a pink ribbon."

"What's wrong? You seem tense."

"It's just one of those days." said Turkish as he got up and walked out of the kitchen just as he saw Bond about to enter.

"Good morning." greeted Bond.

Oddly, Turkish merely growled slightly on his way out.

"What's with him?"

"He's just like that… How are you fitting in?"

"Aside from the paranoia and suspicion. I'm fine."

_**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

Adam Sutler was in his office when his phone rang, he picked it up and heard.

_"Sutler?"_

"Yes."

_"It's Judas, I expect you've passed the word and have authenticated the pictures and thus believe me entirely?"_

"Yes."

_"Beautiful. I have news for you, the Shadow have a mission for today, two of the, the Turk and Bond, are going to attempt to assassinate the two German specialists flying in from Munich this afternoon."_

"I have some questions."

_"No, you want me to stay on the phone so your peons will trace the call, nice try."_

Judas hung up the phone. Sutler looked up at Dorian and the handful of technicians present.

"Did you do it?"

"No," said the head technician who was working on a computer connected to the phone, "We were seven seconds short. The phone he's using has a masked signal. Sorry, Sir."

"Leave."

The technicians left, leaving Sutler and Gray by themselves.

"Did you make preparations to avert harm done to the specialists?"

"Yes," said Gray, "Their flight has been diverted and they will arrive earlier and they've been secured. Two decoys were put in their places."

Dorian was about to say something but restrained himself.

"Do you have something to say, Mr. Gray?"

"Well… You do seem to trust this man."

"If I do then it is because I've been left with little choice, I'm ashamed to say that your operatives are a little more than a group of impulsive hoodlums. If we hadn't lost those disks we wouldn't be in this situation to begin with."

"Very well, Sir. I accept the responsibility, but I don't think…"

"Monitor the decoys, and try to capture Bond and the other sniper, that's all I want you to do at the moment. Now, if you don't mind, I have important meeting to attend to. England Prevails."

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

Bond and Turkish were in a car by themselves, driven by the first, as they headed to carry out the Assassination.

"I've seen you in the past. Have you ever been to Oslo?" asked Bond.

"Several times."

"I thought you did, I now remember who you are."

"Do you?"

"Yes, it was three years ago, you killed a CIA Agent named Jack Wade, he was a friend of mine."

"Did I? Huh, I don't remember doing that, but you seem trust worthy, so I'll take your word for it."

"He was a good man, he shouldn't have been killed."

"You're probably right, but it makes little difference now. What about you, you're a double-O, aren't you? You have a license to kill."

"Your point?"

"We're both cold blooded killers, we do the job everyone else feels is too messy, and let's face it, we're bloody good at it. The only difference is that I kill out of hunger and you kill out of patriotism."

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"I see you're back, do you need more firepower?"

Jekyll and Skinner had returned to Max Zorba's warehouse, the Greek arms dealer was suspicious of them seeing as how this was the third time they sought him, yet he is yet to find out what they're doing.

"Not quit, I mean yes, but that's not all." said Skinner as they were being served some Greek coffee.

"We need manpower."

"For what?"

"We're cooking up this big hit, you see. And the other side is well trained and abundant in number, and we know you've got connections, as a mater of fact, several of your enforcers are former soldiers, right?"

"Yes and no."

"What do you mean?"

"Yes, they are. And No, I decline."

"Oh, but you don't know all the stakes." said Jekyll.

"What do you mean?"

"First, we're fighting the Agents of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."

Zorba's eyes glimmered with rage at the mentioned of the league.

"Needles to say, you know those people, nigh, you HATE those people." Jekyll continued, "And why not? You used to be a big fish in a big pond. And now… well, I know better than to insult a man who sells guns for a living."

"And best of all," started Skinner, "The revenge is just the cherry on top. You see, we'll be engaging the bulk of the League's Agents, maybe all of them, and once they're all done for. Guess what will be lying around nearby?"

"A shit load of guns, explosives and all the trinkets that'd make a man like you cream his pants."

"So, should we take out business elsewhere?"

Zorba paused to consider, and took his time as he lit a Cuban cigar and weighed the pros and cons of the situation.

"How many men do you need?"

"How much can you spare?"

"I can get you fifty of my own; I can arrange an extra hundred from other crime syndicates who also would like to see the League gone."

"Good. We'll be in touch."

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

Traffic stopped due to a traffic light malfunction in the street where Bond had assumed his vantage point out the window of a residential apartment he had broken into. Turkish was on the street doing some reconescinse work.

Turkish took a drag of his cigarette as he watched a silver car being driven by a League Agent as it stayed put in the traffic jam. Two Teutonic looking gentlemen sat in the back, those two men were intended to be killed, for they were the specialists that would take care of merging the All-Seeing-Eye and FATE.

"They're here," said Turkish, apparently to himself but actually to Bond through an earpiece, "They're in a Silver Audi A8, towards one o'clock of me. Do you have a clear shot?"

_"Yes."_

"Peachy. Take your shot anytime you like."

The entire traffic jam was orchestrated by Natalya, the though of whom angered Turkish, he wasn't sure what to make of what he had seen last night. And he sure as hell wasn't glad about playing the role of Bond's lackey.

He looked to his side as to not attract the Agents' attention, he saw the reflection of the Audi in a storefront window, and something was off about it.

Turkish's order to hold fire came just as Bond was about to pull the trigger to the sniper rifle.

"Abort!" said Turkish through the earpiece.

_"What's going on?"_

"The specialists, they have no reflection, they're vampires."

_"But it's daytime."_

"Maybe they're wearing sun-block, or maybe the windows filter the sunlight. Point is, those aren't our targets, and this is all a setup."

_"They must have Agents on the location, snipers even."_

"That's a given."

_"Get to the car, I'll cover you."_

"I can take care of myself, I'll meet you there."

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**L.H.Q.**

Dorian Gray watched alongside Sheldon Sands as confirmed images of Bond and Turkish were viewed on a plasma TV, the images were taken from some Closed-Circuit-TV cameras which were present where the assassination was supposed to take place. They showed how Bond had killed an Agent that attempted to stop him.

"That's him." said Sands, "Hey, where's Sofie?"

"Ms Fatale has been unapproachable these past few days, not that it's any of your business."

"Easy chief, forget I was asking."

They watched at a frozen picture of Bond's face right before he got into the car and drove away.

"Did you try tracking the car?"

"It's stolen, and it was found abandoned by a tube station. They've disappeared for now."

"So, I guess this Judas is on the level, huh?"

"So it would seem."

_**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"We've figured out the location of 'The Eye'." said Natalya in excitement, "James said it was in Greenwich. So, with the help of Tanner and Moneypenny, I began inspecting the business and buildings suitable for the Eye's performance. It finally came down to two I.T. companies: Asgard Inc. and McArthur Inc."

"Which one is it?" asked Skinner.

"I think It's the first, Judas did some location research and found out it has a Ley Line passing directly through it."

"So, you're not sure."

"Not in the least, but it's a good chance."

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"Hey, how did the big assassination go?" asked Judas as he joined Skinner, Jekyll and Bond in the living room.

"There was no assassination; some of your cousins were sitting as decoys."

"Oh, they must have known!" said Judas in an overacted manner, "But, how could they have known?"

"Why, I don't know, Jude. It'll be one of the ancient mysteries of life."

Judas and Bond chuckled, while something shot its way to the surface in Jekyll's mind, something magnanimously important and long forgotten.

"Jesus Christ!" he practically shouted.

"Eh? What's wrong?" asked Skinner.

"How could I have forgotten something like this?"

"Forgotten something like what?"

"When Natalya and I were in Rome, we met a man called Ceniza, I've told you about him, he turned out to be working for the League… Anyway, after the jig was up, he told us that An Order of Ancient Mysteries could know the key to defeating Dorian."

"THE Order of Ancient Mysteries?" asked Judas.

"Yeah, why?"

"There used to be a magical brotherhood of that name, based in Wych Cross. Their bag was all about achieving immortality and power and getting laid and stuff. One story about them is that they once tried to trap Death itself. It's a pretty big deal to forget, maybe Ethan Rayne's spell wiped it out."

"That's possible."

"So, we've got a brotherhood of Immortality seekers connected to an Immortal who is supposed to be dead. It's worth a look." said Skinner.

"We'll leave in the morning." said Jekyll.

"No," said Skinner, "You, Bond, Turkish and Natalya stay here. The rest of us will leave right now."

"Err, It's a safe bet those who know are already dead." said Judas.

"That won't stop a man like you, will it?"

"Well, no. Hey, Chas the cabbie knows this guy Constantine who will help us through it."

"Excellent, go fetch Logan."


	19. Ancient Mysteries

_Wych Cross, Sussex_

"Sun's coming up." said Logan.

The old truck carrying the four men drove through the long and twisty road, heading to a mansion in the distance. The sun was indeed rising at the early hours of morning. Judas took his hands off the steering wheel to pull on a black ski mask, and slip into a pair of leather gloves, then took control of the wheel again.

They soon arrived at their destination, a chained gate that kept intruders out of the massive mansion surrounded by an ample and neglected garden. They all got out, Judas who was still covered from head to toe, Skinner, Logan who shattered the chains with a strike from his claws, and John Constantine, who was in his early fifties, was tall and thin, had slightly spiky blonde hair and blue eyes, wore a formal shirt and tie below an old brown trench coat and had an ever present Silk Cut cigarette lodged between his lips. Constantine, a Londoner magician, occultist, con-man as well as another long list of equally dubious things, he had a reputation all men envy, after all, how many men can boast of having tricked the devil time and time again?

"Rumor has it that the first Lord Magus of the order is buried in the grounds, whatsesname, Burgess, Roderick Burgess." said Judas.

"He'll be perfect," said Constantine as he lit a new cigarette, "We'll call him up."

"..From the dead?" asked Logan.

"Are you sure you can do it?"

"I'm a nasty piece of work, chief, ask anybody. You just keep slicing doors for us, o'right?"

They went on and broke their way into the mansion, where Judas discarded his mask and gloves. The inside was a real dump; it was obvious that the mansion have had better days. Broken pieces of furniture were scattered around, there were broken mirrors and signs of looting that occurred in the past.

"Can you feel the flux?" asked Constantine.

Judas paid attention as to focus on the mystical flux in question.

"Yeah, it's coming from down stairs."

"Right, I don't see any stairs heading downward."

"Oh, Burgess was an old school magician, he's a big fan of shouting names, diabolical pacts, orgies and…" said Constantine in a knowing manner.

"Secret passages through the study?"

"Exactly."

Surely enough, there was a hidden passageway behind the shelves in the library, it wasn't hard to figure out which, since there were no book except for one area where the books were fastened to the wood of the shelves, they walked down the spirally staircase till they reached a long forgotten ceremonial hall, it was dark, dusty and poorly ventilated. The floor was covered in engravings of Celtic letters, interlocking circles, pagan symbols, pentagrams and Latin phrases.

"Alright, squire. Should we begin?" asked Constantine.

"Have at it."

Constantine took off his trench coat and folded up his sleeves, he then went to work, drawing a circle inside a triangle in chalk, placed three small lit candles on each corner of the triangle. He then pricked his wrist with a blade and bled into the center of the sigil.

"Hey," Constantine started arrogantly, "Morris Brocklesby! Daemon King! Roderick Burgess! Lord Magus or whatever it is the fuck that you go by, get your pipe sucking arse down here now!"

"What the hell is he doing?" wondered Logan.

"He's trying to summon Burgess." explained Judas, "Though he is taking some liberties with it."

The air started to thicken and a smell of sulfur suddenly grew heavy, someone was about to arrive, and they were unlike most people you know.

"Appear, you spell-casting tantric-fucking prats!"

Smoke started to gather in the hall, and the ghostly forms of a group of robed men appeared, one of them was more corporal looking than the rest, but still was slightly transparent. He was a bald-headed, slightly pot-bellied man with a large hook nose and something of the look of a gypsy about him; he also was holding a pipe in his hand which he frequently took puffs from. He was Burgess, the Lord Magus of the order.

"What do you want, breathers? What is your cause for disturbing out sleep." he asked in a Cornish accent.

"We have questions." said Skinner.

"Concerning?"

"Dorian Gray."

"Hmmm, how is the vain bastard?"

"Quit bastardly."

"There will be a price."

"I'm shocked," said Constantine with a mocking gasp, "What be it?"

"Blood."

"Aah!" said Judas as he pulled down his sleeve, "Say no more."

Judas then turned to explain to Skinner, saying, "Ghosts need the tears of the living to live short intervals as human, Vampiric blood does the trick just as well."

He cut his wrist and started bleeding into an old dusty flask he found on the floor.

"Alright," said Burgess as he took the bottles blood, "We'll answer your questions. But we'll take one only."

"One what?"

"One man, It'll be him!" said Burgess as he pointed at Logan.

"Alright," said Skinner after a moment of hesitation, "Logan…"

"I'll do it."

Logan stepped forward, cautious but sure, the ghosts circled him and the group began to fade into oblivion.

"Hey, Logan!" called Judas, "Whatever happens, don't drink anything they give you!"

_**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"Life isn't easy, as you must know by now, and it's choke full of surprises. One day you're in the care of a familiar face, and then next day you're being abducted by an Australian Vampire."

Peta the cat was drinking from a bowl of milk while Turkish talked to it as they both sat in the kitchen.

"I know it too; one day I'm killing international criminals for the benefit of other international criminals, getting an honest years pay for a dishonest week's work, entirely free of moral confusion and emotion, and the next day I'm thrust into what people seem to think is a noble cause, and the old ticker has the first moments of innocent anticipation. Also take this other example, one day you feel the sky is brighter than usual, the grass is green on all sides, you don't even feel the urge to shoot petunias or bastard picking on students-slash-waitresses, you kiss someone who promises to walk by you on your way for some noodles or something in the days to come once you're done with your noble cause, and then not next day, but the some night there is spies coming back from the dead and kiss what you've been kissing just a few hours before. And then you're back where you started; only you know that where you are is the best place is for you, and the tragedy is it's not great at all. I'm making little sense, right? Not even I am sure what I'm saying, I'm not drunk or anything, I'm just disgusted. Disgusted at the hand that fate has dealt me, disgusted of this cigarette in my hand, disgusted of this kitchen, disgusted of the rifle I'm expected to caress whenever they say so. I'm disgusted of Bond, Sutler, Blair, and most of all _that bitch_ Natalya. Well, maybe that's too much, I guess if I was intimate with someone who died and came back, I'd be randy for him as well, or her, rather, wouldn't I? I'll be alright in the morning, but right now I have this urge to truncheon something half to death. You of course, totally understand what I'm saying, Right?"

Peta the cat got up and scurried out of the kitchen, leaving the half filled bowl of milk alone.

"Pussy."

_**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

It wasn't a place, but a state f mind. It was something forgotten, something lost, something dreadful.

Logan looked all around him, the members of the order stood a variety of distances from him but Burgess was facing him directly.

"Where are we?" asked Logan.

"Where isn't exactly a function that applies to this place, we're at the beginning of time and the end of it."

"What!"

"It's a bit difficult to fathom, and you're not here to learn metaphysics. What do you want to know?"

"I want to know how Dorian was resurrected."

"We resurrected him."

"Why?"

"So that he could share his immortality with us, needless to say, our plan fell short and Gray managed to get away with all he wanted."

"How did you do it?"

"We submerged his portrait in a substance known as Lazarus, performed a number of rites and spells that brought him back from the dead, in a ceremony he reestablished his oaths and was immortalized."

"How can we kill him?"

"The only way to inflect harm so severe as to overcome Gray's immortality is for Gray himself to damage his portrait. Inflicting damage to the portrait yourself won't work. He will be then stripped of his immortality and can be killed by any fatal wound."

Logan quieted for a minute, and the order made no sign or sound, as if though eagerly anticipating his next question. But as for Logan himself, being in this place was forcing some buried memories to resurface.

"Be gone now, Immortal."

Suddenly, Logan was torn from his surroundings, felt himself being barreled through time and space, through the very fabric of the cosmos, and found himself back at the hall beneath Burgess' mansion. Constantine, Skinner and Judas still stood where they were when he left them.

"How long was I gone?" asked Logan.

"You're kidding, right?" asked Skinner, "They surrounded you, and then disappeared and you asked how long you have been gone. Did you go anywhere interesting?"

"Yeah, I did."

"And?"

"They told me how to beat Gray…"

"This is nice and all," interrupted Constantine, "But would you mind going back to London, like right now?"

_**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

Dorian sat at his disk with the lights dimmed and a vat of Cognac in his hand. He sat facing several screens that played several segments in loop. One was of Jekyll wreaking havoc over those demons in that facility in Rome, another was of Logan battling several Agents on end during the Shadows' raid in Crawley, a third was of James Bond in action during a mission that had happened while he was still working for MI6, a fourth showed a heavy security escort surrounding an American VIP's car. A bullet pierced the tainted glass and was permanently lodged in the VIPs head. The shooter was never found but the people behind the Assassination were caught, they said the man responsible was a freelance Turkish sniper. A fifth screen showed images of Skinner, Natalya and Judas, detailing each's exploits and achievements.

All was quiet for now, Judas hadn't supplied any information about upcoming operations, work on Project FATE was going ahead as planned, Sofie wasn't speaking to him for some reason, but he attributed it to that time of the month or that fact that most women are insane.

He briefly started to think about his centuries long life, as he often did when he was alone. Immortality seems like a good idea, till you realize you're going to spend it in boredom. By the time Moriarty had came to him, he had already spoken every language, traveled to every corner and experienced every sensation.

He smiled to himself as he watched the group, truth be told, he had hoped they'd arrive for decades. He'd been the League's leader for sixty years, overseeing recruiting, planning and have lead them into battle. But when he though about it, there was never a real threat, they'd either be attacking or would be attacked by a pitiful minor organization that would take three days worth of intelligence and an armed detail of Agents to thwart. Of course, there were plenty of challenges during the cold war, but nothing like this. In his heart he thanked Jekyll and Skinner for bringing a measure of excitement to his life.

Too bad he had to thank them by executing them...


	20. Unto the Breach

Jekyll and Skinner sat in the study, each with a vat filled with their drink of choice to capable to wiping clusters of brain cells on end. The second had arrived along with Judas and Logan just a few hours ago at Afternoon.

"I hoped this day wouldn't come." said Skinner as he took a sip of his whiskey.

"I can relate."

"We have all we need, don't we?"

"Yeah, better tell the troops."

They stepped out of the study and walked to the living room, banging on Logan and Bond's rooms as they passed them to alert them that a meeting is being held.

The seven were gathered in the living room soon, they appeared to know what was the point but still stayed silent.

"Gentlemen," said Skinner, not considering Natalya who stood next to Turkish who ignored her, "Our time has come. Our final battle is nearing."

Skinner paused to collect his thoughts, he almost looked like he was about to surrender and forget about the whole thing, but he went on.

"We'll attack tomorrow night."

_**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"Sutler," said Judas through his cell phone, "It's your snitch."

_"Hello, Mr. Kemp. What news do you have?"_

"Skinner has signed on an eighth member."

_"What? Who is he?"_

"His name is Tyler Durden, an American Anarchist with followers both in the states and in Britain. They're using his men to launch an attack against the Crawley facility two days from now at Dawn."

_"I see. How many men do they have?"_

"Fifty, give or take. Now, regarding Mr. Trick…"

_"Just tell me the where and when."_

"Midnight, at Warehouse sixty-four in the East London Docks. And in case you haven't figured it out, there will be hell to pay if you try to stiff me."

Judas hung the phone up and looked up at Skinner.

"Do you think he bought it?" asked Skinner.

"I think so."

"Here's to hoping."

Skinner then stepped back to address the rest of the Shadows,

"Here are your missions for tomorrow night. Jekyll will head with Max Zorba and his men to Crawley to destroy FATE's primary components and engage with the league's Agents, their majority will be there, due to the false tip that we've acquired the services of Tyler Durden, an Anarcho-terrorist, this will leave the rest of us safe enough to perform our missions back here in London, of course, some Agents will still be here to protect their bases. Natalya, you will head to Asgard corporations and sabotage the All-Seeing-Eye, Bond and Turkish, you will accompany her and protect her at all costs. Judas will be settling his unfinished business with Mr. Trick. Natalya, before your mission you will disable the League's security system, after that Logan and I will enter L.H.Q. to confront Dorian and whatever Agents are still present. Tanner and Monneypenny will supply Intel through sat-com for all of you. As far as each of you is concerned, if you are done with your mission, you will head to Heathrow Airport and board a plain heading for a different location, where you will take a flight to somewhere else and so on until we all regroup in Dublin a week from now, in ten day's time, if someone hadn't arrived, then that person has been killed or in case we fail, caught. If that happens, forget you ever met that person and don't attempt to rescue him."

Skinner paused again, looked blankly into space, smiled then turned back to the Shadows and said,

"Tomorrow night it all ends, with the league reduced to a heap of rubble or with all of us falling down. The first League was put together to further cause global unrest, and then progressed to be an instrument of the greater good. There were seven of us then and there are seven of us now. A Marksman, A Spy, A Scientist, a Vampire, Immortal as well as Jekyll and I. Call it Coincidence or Devine Humor. But I do know one thing, this is no fluke, this thing is beyond all of us, it has been in the works since the beginning. I believe this is our destiny, I believe it is our calling, tomorrow night holds the true purpose of our existence."

Emotions were high at the moment, a general feeling that was a mix of despair, melancholy, and urge to raise your fist and roar defiantly at the gods of injustice and the vicissitudes of Fate.

"You have from now till this time tomorrow for yourself, enjoy it cautiously, it may be your last."

_**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"Big Brother has unfortunately stopped listening to common sense and instead hangs on to every word the vampire feeds him," said Dorian, "But as you understand, I have my doubts."

They were all gathered in Dorian's office, Dr. Sebastian Cain, Ethan Rayne, Prof. Karl Kroenen, Kevin Trick, Elle Driver, Sheldon Sands, Silas, Caine Marko the Juggernaut, Sofie Fatale who was still reeling from Dorian's infidelity which she hadn't revealed to anyone, and a mysterious man who dressed in a hooded coat.

"Big Brother has dispatched the majority of Agents to Crawley to protect FATE, which I cannot prevent, it's done. I've ordered the rest of the Agents to be divided between here and Asgard. I've ordered the evacuation of this building for the next few days except for necessary staff. Silas and Ms. Driver, I will dispatch you to Asgard, Mr. Marko, you will head to Crawley incase Big Brother is right, Mr. Trick, Big Brother has requested that you investigate a matter by yourself in the East London Docks. It's time for us to end this pitiful coup once and for all."

_**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

"Would you like to do something special?" asked Natalya as she stood by Turkish on the balcony, "Maybe go out for that dinner we never finished?"

"I'm not in the mood." answered Turkish bitterly.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing… I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You've been avoiding me like the plague, what's wrong?"

"It's a critical time; I don't think I need Skinner going father superior on me."

"No, that's not it. Did I do something wrong?"

"Wrong is in the eye of the beholder. And god knows I beheld."

"What? Talk like a normal person."

"I saw you kiss him, okay?" barked Turkish as he turned around to face her, "The night he made his grand return, I saw you kiss him in the study."

Natalya was completely shocked.

"You were spying on us?"

"Yes, I was spying on you."

"Well… It wasn't what it looked like, I was testing him."

"Testing him, for what? Tongue reflexes?"

"Skinner told me to kiss him to know if it was really him."

"And you accepted?"

"What was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, I hear that 'Saying No' thing works."

"It was just a kiss!"

"You don't understand, I _**saw** you_! You weren't making sure it was him, you were kissing him, whatever feeling you ever had for him hadn't died out. You still have hopes for you two, maybe you still love him. In any event, I'll do the sporting thing and forget there was ever a possibility of us." said Turkish as he turned to leave.

"That's very rich coming from a man who won't say his real name!... Wait, Turkish! These may be the last days of our lives; do you really want to spend it like this?"

"Yes."

_**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

Logan picked up the phone and dialed an international number; several rings later a voice answered him.

_"Hello?_"

"Hank? It's Logan."

_"Logan! Good to hear from you. God, we were starting to worry. Where are you?"_

"London. I'll be back in about two weeks."

_"Good to know. Are you alright?"_

"You know me, I'm a survivor. How are the kids?"

_"The kids are fine; Rogue is finally coming to terms with the resurgence of her powers."_

"How about Kitty and Peter and the Swedish kid with the forehead?"

_"__chuckle The kids are fine, Logan, are you sure you're alright?"_

"I am, I just… I'm having these issues right here; there is something that I have to do that have to be done. And I… Just forget it. Take care of the kids, Doc. And if two weeks pass and I'm not back, don't come looking for me, don't throw me a service, just let the kids know that I did what I had to do and lived like I always did."

_"Logan, I think-"_

"Goodbye, Hank."

_**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_Soho, London_

Sofie Fatale and Skinner sat in a coffee shop each by himself, no Agents, no shadows. Just a man and a woman with a deal and a pair of coffee mugs.

"I have to say, I'm sorry I had to resort to such measures." said Skinner as he sipped the black liquid comfort.

"What kind of measures? Devious? Cheap? Low?"

"Yes, those are accurate descriptions. You see, I'm not one to play fair, I'm a kick-them-in-the-groin, pull-their-hair and sucker-punch-them kind of guy. And truth be told, I did enjoy imagining the expression you got when you received those photos. It could have been worst, I could have posted them on the internet."

"Why do you assume I'll help you?"

"Because you'd do it yourself if you could. That's the magical effect Dorian has on people, women especially; He makes them trust him, admire him, love him, and hate him once they see past that amazing jaw and wonderful complexion of his. Dorian was never the commitment type, he collects carnal encounters with all things human, female and alive, actually I've heard some rumors regarding the female part, but that's not the point. I'm sure you're quit the lioness in the barn, but for Dorian, there is nothing such as an only cu-"

"You've made your point clear!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to gloat. It's just the effect of spending decades in and on the hunt as both predator and prey, it's nice to see the bad guys having relationship trouble."

"You still haven't answered my question, why do you assume I'm willing to betray the League?"

"I'm not asking you to betray the League, just Dorian."

"But why do you assume I'd betray him over his betrayal?"

"Well, I'm not surrounded by Agents with guns and handcuffs am I? It looks like a great deal from where I'm sitting, to be frank. You live up to your end of the bargain and we'll take care of Dorian, should we fail, nobody will be any kind or sort of wiser. In the minute, infinitesimal chance that we win, then there is no guarantee we'll beat the rest of you lot. And in the insane possibility that we actually do win in all aspects. Then we'll let you go, no harm, no foul."

"And when are you planning on attacking exactly?" asked Sofie, she already new the answer but was testing him.

"Ha! That's for me to know and for you to be shocked with, so, do we have an accord?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, if the lady will excuse me, I have to fuck off."

_**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

20 Hours Later…

The day passed too slowly for all parties concerned, and neither did enjoy it as they should have, they mostly went over final details and preparations. The sole exception was Judas, who started the day with a peppered stake, then went on a bender and sealed the twenty four hours with a visit to a whore house where he indulged in carnal relaxation with more women than humanly possible.

It was ten O'clock, time for the Mutiny to begin, they all gathered in the living room as two cars waited outside as well as Max Zorba's.

It was emotional, though none expressed it in anyway. They had bonded greatly through the past months and came to care greatly about each other, and now it was all hanging in the balance.

"Alas," started Skinner, "My friends, It's time to say goodbye. For this will most likely be the last time all of us will be alive in each others' presence. We all come from different places, yesterdays, and denominations. But we've all arrived at the same place. Some of you perhaps don't believe in God, but praying never hurt anyway did it? And so, I would like to lead you in a prayer if you don't mind."

Nobody seemed to object so Skinner began,

"Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host by the Divine Power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls…Amen."

"Amen."

"Amen."

"Amen."

"Amen."

"Amen."

"Amen."

Two tears streamed down Jekyll's cheek.

"Alright," said Skinner with a choked voice, "No more sentimental speeches. Once more unto the breach dear friends."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

R&R.


	21. The Shadow Mutiny Commences

_Putney, London_

Natalya sat at her computer, clearing her mind completely, not giving an ounce of thought to the two men sitting outside. With the exception of Turkish and Bond, they had all left, each to his own perilous mission.

The League's emblem appeared on the screen as she started her attempt to hack into the system.

_**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_East London Docks, Warehouse 64_

Judas hung from the rafters as he made sure his final resort was in working order, he wouldn't use it till all other options had gone to hell.

He looked down at the empty warehouse, several weapons he had mounted on the walls, swords, spears, stakes, daggers; the works. Despite his morally paralyzed nature, he wanted a fair fight, not just revenge, and he would get that.

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_Soho, London_

Sofie exited the building carrying a cardboard tube of the sort used to hold maps, she walked up the street then entered a shop right as Skinner was exiting, he also carried a similar tube and they almost made the swap smoothly, Had Skinner not stuck a needle in her flank which sent a highly potent sedative that caused her to slip into sleep within seconds.

He dragged the incapacitated lawyer to Chas' cab which was sparked nearby. He laid her on the back seat and handed Chas a stack of pounds.

"This should take care of your trouble, Chandler. Will you do me another favor?"

"Depends, what is it?"

"If I give you a ring, come and meet me by the big windowless building on Stockwell Street, do you know it?"

"I know it, no problem."

Chas drove off and Skinner got into another car with Logan at the driver's seat.

"How hideous." said Skinner as he emptied the tube as Logan drove off.

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_Crawley, West Sussex_

Agents had just begun arriving to guard the facility during the attack that was expected to occur within hours, the keyword in this case is 'expect'.

Roughly one mile away, Max Zorba and Jekyll stood watching them through binoculars.

"We should be able to take them by surprise." said Zorba in his distinctive Greek accent.

"Are all your men ready?"

Zorba looked behind them, around two hundred criminals in several cars and trucks were there, armed to the teeth and warm for the idea of battle.

"They're ready, where is the loot?"

"Right now there is between one-fifty to two-hundred Agents over there, there may be more on the way, and they've come prepared to fight a legion of anarchists. Very soon there will be more guns and explosives than anyone can fathom, and there is more in that building. You'll have the booty of your dreams and a battle to go with it."

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_Putney, London_

After twenty minutes of effort, Natalya was finally in control of the league's systems. And once she exploited that power, her location would be known.

"Skinner?" She asked through the satellite phone on the desk.

_"Yes, Natalya."_

"I'm in."

_"Good, now follow the instructions and you three get out."_

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**L.H.Q.**

Dorian was in his office reviewing intelligence reports when the plasma screen on the wall opposite to him started up and the utterly terrified face of a technician appeared.

"Mr. Gray?" said the young man as he adjusted his glasses and wiped the sweat from his forehead, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but something is wrong… Our systems, they're out of control."

"What?" asked Dorian sharply.

"Someone has hacked the system."

"I was told that is impossible!"

"It is… was."

"What damages has been done."

"Our outside communications, Sir. They've been shut down."

"How soon can you get them back on?"

"We can't, not until… Wait," said the man as he looked away at some computer screens, "… all locks are being opened, the entrances are wide open! And…. we just lost the bulk of our security system."

"Are you saying that this place is open for all to enter and do as they please?"

"Yes. I'm sorry; I have to idea what had happened. We'll try to fix this all up, as a matter of fact; we've already started to track down the location of the hack. It's coming from somewhere in Putney."

"Give me that address soon, and you better get the systems fixed, or I'll read your resignation in the morning, and your obituary the morning after."

The screen blanked shut, Dorian pressed his intercom,

"Kat, Get me Miss Fatale."

_"She's not in."_ answered the secretary.

"Well find out where she is."

Dorian rang up Sands who was in his own office.

"Mr. Sands?"

_"Yeah."_

"Very soon we'll have the Shadows' location in Putney, I need you to head there and apprehend them once we get the address. Take twelve special Agents along with you."

_"Yes Sir."_

Dorian waited a few seconds before buzzing for Kat,

"Have you found her?"

_"Sorry, Sir. I've tried her cell, her flat, no one knows where she is."_

"Fuck! Are all Operatives accounted for?"

_"Yes, with the exception of Mr. Rayne."_

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_Heathrow Airport, London_

_'Attention all travelers, this is the boarding call for flight Six-One-Six to Los Angeles, California.'_

Ethan Rayne carried his bag and walked to the terminal, he had no regrets about it, and he was doing the sensible thing and getting out while he still could.

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_Crawley, West Sussex_

A hand held rocket launcher sent a missile through the dark night and into a group of unsuspecting Agents.

The explosion brought great fear to the dozens of Agents who didn't expect to see any kind of combat till the wee hours of the morning. Several of them were relaxed, smoking cigarettes, eating some packed meals or slipping a few sips of Irish coffee when the higher ranking Agents weren't looking. The attack took them completely by surprise, they scampered in all directions, not knowing what to do exactly, their formations were in complete chaos.

A horrifying, animalistic, sadistic roar erupted through the air as Jekyll changed while Zorba and his troops advanced.

_**-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_East London Docks, Warehouse 64_

Mr. Trick walked into the warehouse, full of skepticism, he looked blankly at the empty space and the various objects on the walls, and something was making him feel very uncomfortable about the whole situation. He thought Big Brother had to be quit insane to send him here.

A loud sound of a switch being thrown open was heard and the warehouse was filled with light from some spotlights mounted on the rafters above.

"Missster Trick." said Judas in an overly theatrical manner, "I've been expecting you."

"Mr. Kemp, of course." said Trick with disdain in recognition of the voice which seemed to be coming from nowhere. He looked around him and saw that there was an abundance of weapons on the walls, there was also a great deal of crosses nailed around them as well.

"Do you like what I've done to the place? I tricked it out just for you, no pun intended."

"I like it, where are you, you little shit?"

"Why," said Judas as he dropped from the rafters onto the ground, "I'm right here."

Judas walked in an arc a distance away from Trick, fondling his tulwar sword in his hand.

"I though your lot the _Chimp_peries weren't big on crosses."

"I reconsidered; you had that effect on me. For eight years while I was in that cage, I though of nothing but the taste of you dust."

"I'm flattered. What's with the toys?"

"Oh, you don't think I'd fight an unarmed man, do you?"

"And the crosses?"

"I just thought they'd make the place look festive."

"Uh-huh. So, I'm part of the price you received to be Big Bro's little snitch?"

"Spot on. Now, are we done with the talky part and can move on to the slice and dice main even?"

"Why, certainly."

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_Putney, London_

The League's special agents were massive men, each was a at least six feet-three inches tall, man-shaped mass of muscle, covered in riot police armor and carrying a submachine gun. Twelve of these men were right outside the Shadows' apartment, four of them shattered the door with a police ram and then they bolted in, raising their guns they advanced into the apartment looking for the Shadows.

"Find them." said Sands as he followed them in.

They entered the study where voices could be heard, but upon entering all they found was a dark room with recorded voices coming from computer speakers. The screen displayed a screen sever indicating that it has been abandoned for some time.

"The bedrooms are clear." said an Agent.

"The kitchen is clear." said another.

"The balcony is clear." said a third.

Sands sighed in frustration, and then caught sight of an Agent standing by the computer about to touch it.

"Don't!"

The warning was late as the Agent struck a key on the keyboard and the animated shapes disappeared from the screen to reveal one word in bald black letter on a red screen.

**BANG**

They key stroke activated a trigger wired into the keyboard, which then sent a spark to a concealed stack of C4. The explosion was devastating, killing all thirteen men instantly and sending streams of flame and debris out the windows.

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**L.H.Q.**

_'You've reached Sofie Fatale's residence, I'm not here presently, but you can leave me a message and I'll contact you soon._ **–BEEP-**'

"Sofie," Dorian angrily said on the phone leaving a message to Sofie, "I don't know what's wrong with you, I don't know I did to make you upset. But forget all about it, we're being attacked right now. Sands was killed, we can't contact our Agents in Crawley, and Rayne may have been kidnapped. I need to contact Big Brother, and I can't do that without you. Get back to me quickly!"

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_Greenwich, London_

The two guards at the front desk of Asgard Inc. were exposed to a strange sight, it seemed like a fire engine was heading directly their way.

"Fred, is that fire engine coming straight at us?" asked Howard.

"It does appear that way. AAAAAAA!" said Fred.

"AAAAAA!"

Bond and Natalya who sat at the front seat watched he two men scrambled to get out of the way.

"James," started Natalya, "What if this is the wrong place? What if 'The Eye' is at McArthur Inc.?"

"Put your head down!" ordered Bond as they neared the glass doors.

The engine came crashing into the bulletproof glass doors and advanced into the lobby as Bond hit the brakes to keep from crashing into a wall.

Seconds passed before four Agents entered the lobby from a door in the corner, raising their machine guns.

"Well, I guess this _is_ the place."

Turkish hoped out of the back of the engine, carrying a grenade launcher, he aimed at the oncoming Agents and pulled the trigger, the grenade exploded five feet away from them and sent them flying before their lifeless corpses hit the marble floors.

_"007,"_ said Tanner through Bond's earpiece, _"Is it the place?"_

"Definitely so." said Bond as he and Natalya got into the back of the truck where they and Turkish loaded up on weapons and equipment.

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**L.H.Q.**

Logan shut the car's engine, turned off the lights and popped open the hood.

As he and Skinner walked out they couldn't help but look in reverence upon the building, this was their moment of truth, both of them would prove their metal tonight.

"Best not forget this." said Skinner as he handed Logan a leather jacket, then loaded up on weapons.

"Thanks." said Logan as he put it on and buttoned it up.

The entrance was open for all to enter, and so they walked into the belly of the beast.

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_East London Docks, Warehouse 64_

Despite the pain it caused him, Trick reached through the crosses and pulled a sword of a wall to block Judas' swing, punched the Australian in the face and attempted to cut off his head as he temporarily lost his footing.

Judas spun out of the way and sliced with his sword, cutting Trick in the arm.

Judas smiled smugly as he liked the blood of the edge of the sword, Trick eyed the wound that was already healing and cursed, "Oh, no you didn't!"

The two rivaling fiends went on fighting each other with such ruthless tenacity, and tooth metal met flesh sending blood splattering on the floor, but it didn't stop any of them.

As the battle raged on, the hooded man from the League's meeting sneaked in undetected.

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_Greenwich, London_

The three didn't meet much resistance as they descended to lower sublevels, they arrived at a room with two guards guarding a vault, both were promptly shot down. Bond then attached plastic explosives to the vault door and armed a detonator and took cover as the countdown began.

The explosion was deafening, it filled the room with a cloud of plaster and dust. Despite the damage to their hearing, Bond and Turkish walked into what was behind the vault.

Three technicians jumped from their seats, raising guns that were hung on the side of each's console.

Natalya could hear the fire fight and waited in morbid anticipation till she heard Turkish call her in.

A ten-by-sixteen foot high screen was mounted on the wall facing away from the entrance; beneath it was a massive array of drives and buttons and methods of interaction with the computer. Natalya looked upon it in complete and utter awe and admiration, momentarily forgetting she was here to destroy it.

"The Eye."

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**L.H.Q**

It is a time of reckoning, Dorian thought and head out to his secretary's desk.

"Mr. Gray…"

"Kat, I need you to get out of here, right now. We're under attack."

"But.."

"There's no time, I need you to get everyone out of the building, tell them to use the emergency exits."

-----------------------------------------------------------

The metal detector sounded of as Logan walked though it, he simply jammed his claws into the circuit board and stopped the irritating noise just as they were met with four Agents who came at them from around a corner. They didn't have luck any better than that of the dozens of Agents that had ever faced up to Logan before.

"I'll go down to the archives department to get your file and rig the place to explode at five O'clock." said Skinner, "You take the elevator and be careful on your way up. And remember, never…"

"Take off my jacket, I know."

Each went a separate way, Logan heading on to an elevator while Skinner headed to a flight of stairs and headed down.

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_East London Docks, Warehouse 64_

Judas punched his adversary in the teeth, then pulled Trick's sword which was lodged in his ribs.

"Motherfucker," he cursed, "You nearly stabbed me in the heart, what's wrong with you?"

Trick took a medieval mace from the wall and hurled it at Judas's head who ducked out of the way and pushed Trick to the ground, and the two wrestled for a while and aimed blows to already injured parts of their respective bodies. Judas was eventually able to get behind Trick and use the Mace's chain to choke him, pulling forcefully till all his already sore muscles were aching, but still going further, forcing the metal links back till he it started penetrating his flesh.

"How does it feel, mate?" gloated Judas as blood and sweat coated his forehead and he was slowly decapitating his enemy.

"You tell me."

It wasn't Judas who said that, nor Trick, but the hooded man who grabbed Judas from the back of the neck, picked him up and threw him at a wall twenty feet away.

Judas ignored the pain that the crash brought on, he brushed the dust of his shoulder and looked up.

The newcomer was removing his hood to reveal his disfigured face. He was bald and pale with a bloated skin, his teeth were razor sharp and he could notice what looked like a scar that went straight from between his lips to below his chin, splitting his bottom jaw in half.

"Judas Kemp… " said Trick as he nursed his wounded neck, "Meet Jared Nomak."

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_Greenwich, London_

Turkish guarded the gate to the vault as Bond stood by Natalya as she was analyzing the data displayed on the screen, inserting several disks and CDs into the drives, her finger hitting a hundred buttons per minute, completely mastering her domain.

_"Bond?" _Moneypenny said through the earpiece.

"Yes, Moneypenny?"

_"There's a car from the League that has just arrived and Agents are making their way into Asgard right now."_

"How many?"

_"Around twenty-five."_

"Natalya," called Bond, "How much time do you need?"

"I don't know, fifteen minute maybe."

"What are the news on other fronts?" asked Bond.

_"The Crawley Operation is still going on, no news from Jekyll. Tanner has been directing Logan and Skinner for the last five minutes. You be careful, James."_

"You too, Jane."

"Turkish." called James.

"What do you want?" Turkish said without looking at the spy.

"We have company, we need to secure the location." answered Bond, shrugging off the unwarranted hostility.

"Alright."

The two exited through the vault door, there were two ways to come so they decided to split up and control the flux of oncoming Agents through each door.

At the same time, Silas and Elle Driver were entering the Asgard building after the wave of Agents came in.

Minutes passed, and then the two dozens of Agents came bursting through the doors to find Turkish opening fire upon them.

**_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

**_For the love of Jack Harding, somebody convince me someone is still reading this stuff and review._**


	22. The Shadow Mutiny Continues

**L.H.Q.**

A strange calm filled Dorian as he opened his weapons cabinet, his Agents were quickly decreasing in number, some were falling to the shadows while the other were cut off from him, Sofie could be any number of things, his career was in Jeopardy. He had lost more or less everything, all he had left and all he could rely on was himself. He would fight like he never fought before, and by the dark leviathans that made him immortal, he will not go down by himself.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luckily for Skinner, the Underground was vacant of staff members and Agents who had disappeared, evacuated or sent to stop the Shadows in Greenwich.

_"…Now turn left." _said Tanner.

"Okay, I'm here." said Skinner.

Skinner was a few feet away from the Archives Department, he held up his shotgun as he kicked the door open.

The Archives Department was a massive hall with endless rows of cabinets, the only person there was a young brunette of her later twenties sitting at a desk in the corner reading a book of sonnets.

"Mr. Skinner, please put that gun away!" said the Archivist in an American accent, southern Californian to be specific.

"Oh, I'm reluctant to do that. Do they tell everybody about Shadows?"

"No, it's my job to know."

"How come?" asked Skinner as he looked around to make sure no one was hiding, keeping his hands on the shotgun at all times.

"I'm the Archivist, that's how I know your name, that's how I know you were born in Manchester in November the 5th of 1866 as Rodney Bartholomew Skinner and served two years with the military when you were eighteen, went back and had a failed attempt at a career in poetry so had to turn to crime to make ends meet, you met Hawley Griffin in 1895 whom you stole the Invisibility process from and had it applied to you by a physics student."

"That's quit enough."

"After the events of 1904 you traveled the world enhancing your skills, learning swordsmanship from Berber of Algeria, intelligence techniques from Russian spies, guerilla warfare from Che Guevara-"

"I said it's enough!" said Skinner who was impressed by her accuracy, "So, you know everything about me?"

"No." said the Archivist, "I know everything about _every_ Agent and Operative of the League."

"So, do you know anything about an Operative from the fifties by the first name of James and aliases of Logan and Wolverine?"

"Let me check," said the Archivist, and then her eyes rolled back and then up as if they made a full spin and again, several times and rapidly till she returned to normal.

"Yes, James Howlett, born in Alberta, Canada during the 1860s to Tom Logan and Elizabeth Howlett, a married woman, but raised as the son of her husband, John Howlett. Worked directly with Mr. Gray throughout the fifties and sixties till he defected, sighting political reasons. You'll find his full file in the form of a microfiche in row six, cabinet twelve."

"Thanks." said Skinner suspiciously.

"My pleasure."

"You should leave, this place will be getting interesting in a while."

"My shift finished while we were speaking, so I think I will. Goodnight."

"Yeah…"

Skinner suspiciously watched the Archivist as she got up and put her blazer on, picked up her purse and walked out the door. As soon as she was gone, he went to the designated cabinet and collected Logan's file, buried it in his pocket and called Chas to come and pick him up in twenty minutes time. He next had to plant the explosives.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Logan's elevator stopped suddenly, and no matter how many times Logan hit the button, it wouldn't budge. He was getting suddenly paranoid and prepared for an attack.

His enhanced hearing picked up on the sound of blades slicing through concrete walls, just a few seconds before Kroenen came crashing down through the elevator roof.

Kroenen went on to stab the fallen Logan in the back repeatedly, then pulled him up by the hair and prepared to cut off his head when Logan's claws blocked his rotating blade.

Logan's eyes widened in Anger and head-butted the Nazi assassin out of the elevator, through the elevator doors which parted just in time.

Logan went after the masked man and picked him up only to be nearly blinded by a slice of the blade, he stepped back and recovered, the two went on to fight, their blades desecrating each other's body, but neither ever falling down. Kroenen was able to slice a large portion of flesh from Logan's face, exposing the bone.

Logan screamed in pain and rage, his eyes went wide as he grabbed Kroenen by the face and head-butted him so hard that his mask was dented, then hissed, "Fuck this shit.", and decapitated Kroenen with a powerful blow from a single claw.

Logan looked at the headless body as it stood in place, the arms jerked upwards as if to continue to fight then the knees buckled and the corpse fell to the ground.

"Though so."

_**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_Crawley, West Sussex_

The hulking mass of a transformed Jekyll went soaring through the air and landed amidst a group of Agents, they managed to fire a few rounds into him which barely grazed him and only encouraged him to clobber them left and right, sending limp bodies of shattered bones and bleeding wounds through the air of that warm summer night.

The Agents were starting to get more organized, acting more like a well tuned government trained semi-military detail, but Zorba's troops still gave them hell. Men were falling on both sides, at this point it was anybody's fight. A helicopter baring the League's insignia then arrived and it's pilot started gunning down attackers with it's miniguns.

None of it mattered to Jekyll presently, he had a specific mission. He walked through a hole in the facility's wall caused by a missile hit.

Project FATE stood before him, some parts were still damaged, and some had been repaired. He picked up a piece of debris and hurled it at a group of electronics wired to the computer. He used a massive iron support beam and started clobbering everything and everyone who tried to stop him on his way as he marched on towards the arcane machine, comprised of Ancient Egyptian Artifacts used to search for lost treasure, connected together for the purpose of finding_ anyone_.

A loud thud he heard behind him, followed by a cockney voice saying, "Back for more, are you?"

Jekyll turned around looked at Caine Marko, his massive arms barely able to fir into the sleeves of his black coat.

"Oh, yeah."

_**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

As soon as Bond pushed open the door, he spotted an explosive right on the threshold and was forced to retreat, the explosion sent him flying through the air and landing on his back at the bottom f the staircase.

"Do you know what they say about the deepest circle of hell, if such a place exists, huh James?"

Elle Driver walked down the stairs to the wounded Bond, a sword in her hand and a shotgun strapped to her back.

"I may have heard about it." said Bond in pain as he tried to get up.

"They say that the Devil is frozen in ice, and in each mouth of his three heads is one of the worst sinners of mankind. And do you know they are? They're Cain, Brutus and Judas Iscariot. They're betrayers, Bond, your kind. And right now, I'm going to send you to them."

_**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_East London Docks, Warehouse 64_

Judas lay on the cement floor, battered, broken and bleeding, Nomak and Trick had been brutally killing him slowly and even cut off his left leg, and said they would cut off his other limbs as the night progressed.

"Look at you, you're pathetic." said Trick as he twisted the sword he'd buried in Judas's stomach.

"Kiss my arse, Trick."

The torture continued, more sadistic and painful than before, and Judas' screams could be heard from several blocks away.

_**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_Crawley, West Sussex_

Jekyll's punch knocked Juggernaut flat on his back, the brute then went on to stomp on the mutant's chest, willing to ground him to pulp, but his assault was soon cut short when Juggernaut grabbed his foot and hurled him into a wall.

He had to sabotage that machine before he was too tired and return to normal, which was no more than five or maybe ten minutes away. Jekyll got up and starred down his opponent, both powerhouses then charged at each other and collided, Jekyll used his bigger stature to his advantage as he tried to choke the smaller man to death, eventually the man's resistance started to weaken and Jekyll tossed him aside and made his way to the machine.

As his great fist was a mere six inches away, he suddenly felt something slowing him down, he looked down and saw Juggernaut latching onto his leg, then forcefully stabbing him below the knee with an iron bar, twisting it to accelerate the bleeding in the process.

Jekyll collapsed to the ground with a scream, his leg was bleeding profusely, Jekyll suddenly realized that the end was near as he felt himself change.

The Juggernaut looked down at the pale, bare-chested man as he lay on the floor bleeding, utterly pathetic. Sadistically, he kneeled down to deliver the blow of mercy, when Jekyll made a sudden move, throwing something at the machine.

Tracking the small object with his eyes, Juggernaut realized that it was a grenade. Wide eyed, the mutant enforcer forgot about the fallen Jekyll and rushed to drive the explosive away.

He managed to slap it away just in time as it exploded after he had tossed it away. He then spun around to see a once again transformed Jekyll charging at him full speed.

The unstoppable abomination collided with Juggernaut as he buried his shoulder into his gut, maintained his momentum as he carried Marko along and rammed him into the machine, shattering it into scores of pieces.

As the two landed on the floor, Jekyll crouched on top of Marko, raised his head high up and with one final roar, came down and slammed his head into Marko's, then repeated it, and again for five more times till the Juggernaut was knocked out cold.

Jekyll fell to his side, he had to reach deep inside to find the strength to transform himself again, he once again started to change back to the weaker form of his normal self, and then darkness settled as he fell into a sleep.

_**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

**L.H.Q.**

"Wolverine, What took you so long?"

Dorian sat at his leather chair, arrogant as ever, a fencing foil resting on the bureau before him.

"I had to take care of something."

"Kroenen?"

"Yeah."

"My my, You killed Kroenen, that's something no one ever managed to do. Did you know he survived being impaled in a pit filled with iron spikes with a massive cog on top of him for three months?"

"Jeez." said Logan emotionlessly as he extended his claws, Dorian got up and picked the foil.

"I'll make you an offer, Wolverine. Why don't you retract the butter knives and I'll give you your past?"

"No."

"You can't kill me, I can't kill you. Come morning, some of my side will be dead, as will some of yours. I'll have to re-staff the league and I would like you at my right side. What reason do you have to say no? I'll give you the answer to the questions that had plagued you for twenty years, I'll give you power, and I will refrain from going on with any of the plans I had for you _students_."

"You are going to stay away from my kids, because you're going to die very soon."

Logan then lunged at Dorian and buried all six claws into his chest, Gray barely flinched.

"So, that's how it's going to be, two Immortals locked in a vicious battle for all eternity, huh?"

Gray stuck the sword through Logan's thigh and mightily punched him in the jaw.

"I may have spared you that night, but not tonight. And guess what, Logan, this fight will be ending abruptly, because as it so happens to be, I can kill you."

And with that, Dorian buried a syringe that was hidden in his sleeve into Logan's neck. Logan's clawed fist punched Dorian in retaliation and sent him flying back into a cabinet.

Logan felt something rushing through his veins, a strange substance that was changing him. He pulled the syringe out and tossed aside as sudden fatigue overcame him, fatigue so great that he couldn't keep his claws extracted.

Dorian got up and smiled in glee as he looked upon his old comrade, hunched over on the floor, out of breath.

"Son…. of a bitch!" Logan cursed, "What did you give me?"

"I'm sure you've heard of the miracle drug produced by Worthington Pharmaceuticals," said Dorian as he walked to his desk, "It's capable of eradicating the mutant X gene and de-evolving a mutant once it's in the blood stream."

"You asshole." Logan cursed, barely audible as the drug was taking it's toll, he fell to his side.

Dorian hit a hidden button on his desk and a panel in the wall opened up, exposing them to the London night and allowing warm breezes to enter.

"Oh, don't worry. Due to your regenerative abilities, the drug won't de-power you for good, you will eventually revert. No no, Mr. Howlett, the drug won't kill you…" said Dorian as he pulled up a limp Logan, "But the fall definitely will."

Dorian then kicked Logan into the opened panel, sending him plummeting from eleven floors high.

**_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

_Greenwich, London_

Dr. Sebastian Cain stood by Natalya, who was entirely oblivious to his presence due to Cain's transparent self and all.

He grinned an invisible wicked grin as he looked at her as she worked tirelessly, she was on the verge of breaking the system. He could stop her right now.

No, he thought, it was too easy. He could still do other things and still stop her in time.

He looked closer at her, at her cascading raven black hair and creamy white skin, utterly tempting.

**_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

_Greenwich_

Elle tossed her sword and gun aside as Bond got up.

"Come on, Bond. You may have been a traitor, but at least put up a fight."

Bond raised his fists in a boxing pose.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Natalya suddenly felt warm breath on the back of her neck, as if though someone was standing right behind her.

Looking back, she saw no one, so she forgot about the whole thing and turned back to the console and resumed her task.

Dr. Cain got closer to her, watching her as she was trying to crack the system. Suddenly, she managed to have a great breakthrough, as an empty loading bar appeared with the sentence

**"Shutdown of _the All Seeing Ey_e is Pending Confirmation. Are you sure you want to Proceed?"**

"Finally!" Natalya rejoiced as she hit the YES button.

Cain had to make the move right then, he quietly placed a hand on Natalya's waist then started to brush upwards.

Natalya jerked out of her seat as she heard a snicker coming out of nothingness, she instantly figured out who it was. She picked up one of the technician's guns and raised it, pointing at random points.

"What are you planning on doing with that, Bitch?" asked Cain as he moved from point to point to throw Natalya off guard.

Natalya fired at where she figured the voice was coming from, but the snickering didn't stop.

She looked at the screen and saw that the Shut Down was being overridden, all her work was about to go to waste.

She fired the bullets at the space by the console without hitting the console itself, and as the gun clicked empty, she rushed to stop Cain, knowing very well what she was risking. She hastily reinitiated the shutdown just as Cain wrapped an arm around her neck.

She raised a booted foot and stomped the heel down onto Cain bare foot, then whipped her neck back, ramming the top of her skull into Cain's nose.

He loosened his grip on her as he yelped in pain, allowing her to ask his hold and dive toward one of the bags they had brought in. She frantically searched for a suitable weapon, but the only weapon she could find was a grenade launcher that Turkish had previously used earlier in the night. It was already loaded, she raised up as she backed into a corner.

"Better think real well where you aim that gun, you cunt, cause if you miss me, I'm going to do all kinds of nasty stuff to ya'."

She did think about it thoroughly, weighing every possibility of failure or success, and finally made her choice.

She aimed at the roof and fired, the grenade exploded four feet away from a fire detector which was set off and the water sprinklers sprang into action.

"Smart move, but it'll do you no good."

She could see the outline of Cain's figure as it was covered with a layer of water.

She tired to bat him with the grenade launcher but he ducked out of the way and knocked her to the ground, then crouched atop her and wrapped his fingers around her neck and started slowly choking her, allowing just the smallest amount of air to pass through her wind pipes to ensure she wouldn't miss out on the pain. She tried to tear his hands from her neck but couldn't, her feet kicked insanely as she was being suffocated.

Cain had to stop to stop the shutdown again, giving Natalya a chance to call for help, crying, "Turkish! James!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Turkish ducked for cover as the onslaught of bullets rained from up the staircase, the firefight was still going on. He heard a scream in the distance but couldn't fathom who it was or what it was, he was more concerned with how to stop a dozen Agents from coming down there with only two magazine of ammunition left.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bond felt the sharpness of the metal iron pressing against his skin and digging deeper into his neck as Elle Driver pulled on it, and smiled in glee as she heard him choke.

Suddenly, he heard the faint call for help from Natalya, his instinct was to go and help her, which was hard to do given his current situation.

Elle's sword was just out of his reach, but he had to get it. He leaned forward and the wire dug deeper into his throat, almost cutting it, but he didn't care as he grabbed the sword by it's tip, take hold on the handle by the other hand and place the blade on his shoulder, then pulling it back into Elle's stomach.

**_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

Skinner walked out the League's entrance, having just finished planting plastic explosives in strategic locations, set to detonate the explosives and bring the building crumbling down like a house of cards at five o'clock exactly. He had finished his mission and had to get out, wait till Logan was out and hit the button.

But something had gone awry, there was a totaled car right upfront, something had landed on it from a great high and totally wrecked the roof.

"Oh, no! God NO!"

It was Logan, he had obviously failed, Skinner rushed to him and felt his neck and sensed a pulse.

As Skinner wondered how could Logan not have healed by this point, the mutant made a sudden movement, coughing a bit of Blood.

"Sk… Skinner."

"Don't say anything."

Chas soon arrived and cursed at the sight.

"Take him to Heathrow." said Skinner as he stripped Logan of his Jacket and put it on himself.

"What? He's half dead, he belongs in a hospital!"

"You can't, just hide him for some time and then get him out of the country."

Skinner stuffed the microfiche into Logan's pocket then tossed a roll of pounds at the cab driver.

"Thanks, mate. You've been a big help." said Skinner as he walked towards the building.

"Where the hell are you goin'?" shouted Chas.

"I must see this to the bitter end."


	23. The Shadow Mutiny Concludes

**L.H.Q.**

Dorian was in his office, looking out through the opened portion of his wall and sipping some gin, celebrating his personal defeat of Logan, his old friend and enemy.

"Gray."

Dorian couldn't hide his surprise as he heard the cockney accented voice demanding his attention, he turned around and looked in surprise upon Skinner who stood in the doorway, his expression filled with detest and determination.

"Mr. Skinner, I'll have to say, I'm genuinely surprised you're here. Did you happen to notice that little surprise at the front door?"

Skinner said nothing.

"I guess you did. So, as it turns out, Mr. Kemp wasn't really a turncoat, was he? Is there really an attack in Crawley?"

"Yes, and in Greenwich, and in East London."

"And we're facing off here to settle it all once and for all."

There was a pause as the two starred each other down.

"I'll have to say something for your benefit, Mr. Skinner, you are without a doubt the worthiest opponent I've had in a long time; you've rejuvenated something in me I thought was long gone."

"Coming from you, Gray, that means fuck all."

"Right, so, should we get on with the battle?"

"Certainly."

"How is your swordsmanship?" asked Dorian as he tossed Skinner a katana sword and took one for him.

"Don't worry; I can manage to give you the castration you deserve."

**_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

_East London Docks, Warehouse 64_

Judas never begged for mercy, he screamed and yelped in pain as Trick and Nomak cut off his limb, shattered his bones and crushed an eye of his.

"Why?" asked Trick, "Why are to doing this to yourself? We've shattered your body, whatever happens, you're not going to live to see next week. The smartest thing you can d is ask for mercy, and you'd die quickly. Why? Why subject yourself to this misery?"

"You don't fucking get it, do you?" said Judas as he was being held up by Nomak, "I'll never stop fighting you, I fought you back in '88, I've fought you in that cell in Rome for eight years, and I'm fighting you now, I'll never stop fighting you."

Judas' limp body suddenly had a renewed surge of power as he whipped his head back, bumping into Nomak's nose and causing him to let go, then burying a fist into his got before spinning in the air before landing a kick with his only foot to Trick's jaw which knocked out a couple of teeth.

As Trick fell down, Judas grabbed a piece of wood from a shattered club he had used earlier in the night and went to burry it into Trick's heart.

One more second was all he needed, one more would have been sufficient to turn Trick into a cloud of dust, had Nomak not pull his foot back and the stake punctured Trick below the heart with one measly inch.

"You've got heart, I'll give you that." said Trick as he got up and removed the stake while Nomak started brutalizing Judas once more.

"Mr. Nomak, we may be needed back in Headquarters, finish him."

Nomak's bottom jaw spread sideways to reveal a disgusting leech like organ; he stuck it to Judas neck and started to drink him dry. Judas fought the urge to slip into the dark abyss and used his good hand to reach into his pocket for the last solution.

"Any last words?" gloated Trick.

Judas raised the object he took out of his pocket, looking like an iron rube with a button on top, with his last breaths he managed to hatefully say,

"No. Do you?"

With his last bit of power, Judas pressed the button before Trick could react.

"Motherfucker, what did you do?" said Trick as he went to pray the device out of Judas' hands, but the vampire was already dead.

Nomak stopped drinking as he realized something had gone amuck, he though he felt an increase in heat and smelt burning flesh.

In horror, the two looked up at the Spotlight Judas had mounted atop the rafters, there were some that were now emitting an eerie blue light, a light which was causing their skin to sizzle.

"The little punk!" said Trick as he watched himself burst into flames, desperately he tried to cover himself up with his jacket, but the UV lights' intensity had maximized and started to burn all three vampires to smoldering ash.

"NO!" cried Trick, "This can't be happening."

The last thing Trick saw before his eyes melted out, was Judas Kemp's face, he had died no more than a minute ago, and yet right now, he seemed to be grinning from ear to ear.

**_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

_Greenwich, London_

Dr. Cain felt a sudden presence, so he looked to his side as he let go of Natalya's neck, he could make out the figure of a man standing on the blown vault's doorway and then he saw the face, a face of a man he thought he killed over two months ago.

The bullet hit him in the nose and blew the back of his head, sending a spray of invisible brains and blood onto the Eye's screen.

Bond ran through the rain-like drops to Natalya's aid.

"Natalya, are you alright?"

"I am now." said Natalya as she crawled away from the invisible corpse, then started the shutdown for the third time.

"Thank you." she said in genuine gratitude as she hit the confirmation key.

"Don't mention it."

They both sat on the floor as water kept raining down on them, and watched as Cain's body started to gain color and become visible. First the ivory bones, then the blood vessels and internal organs, then layers of tissue, flesh and skin. Finally the brown haired Sebastian Cain was there for all to see.

"You know," started Natalya, "Six months ago, seeing this would have been strange."

"I know the feeling." said Bond with a smile.

There was a brief silence once more before Natalya mustered the nerve to say what she needed to say.

"You know James, that night, I mean when we kissed."

"It was a test, I know."

"I though you did, it's just… It wasn't just a kiss, at first I thought it was, I wanted to really believe it was, but Turkish made me see that it wasn't. I.. I know it won't last, but that doesn't mean…"

They found themselves kissing each other, violently and deeply, kissing like they've never did before, together or otherwise.

They shortly stopped as the sounds from the Eye's drives quieted down and a single electronic bell was heard.

The screen now read,

**The All Seeing Eye have been Shut Down, Hard Drives Have Been Wiped.**

And then in blinked shut as all quieted with the exception of the sprinkling water.

"You did it." said Bond.

"No," said Natalya with a smile, "We did it."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Turkish watched from the room leading to the Eye bitterly as Bond and Natalya kissed passionately, he hesitated between alerting them to his presence or simply leaving them alone.

He couldn't help but feel jealousy and regret, he should have been more understanding towards Natalya, but instead he pushed her back to him.

He sighed in frustration, then suddenly heard a click from behind, a click he recognized very well, one he has made several time in the past; A click which came with thumbing back the hammer of a Desert Eagle Handgun.

"Are you going to shoot an unarmed man, in the back no less?" asked Turkish quietly without turning to look back.

There was a long silence before the man with the gun said, "No. "

Turkish turned around to look at Silas as he lowered his gun.

"You're Silas?"

"Yes. You're Turkish?"

"Does it matter?"

"I'm supposed to kill you."

"I figured you had to."

"Are you going to stand there and take it?"

"As I said, I'm unarmed. I'd shoot me if I were you."

Silas sat down on a nearby folding chair, putting the gun at his side.

"I don't think I'm going to kill you."

"Yippie." said Turkish emotionlessly as he sat on a similar chair.

"Do you ever get tired of killing?" asked Silas.

"I killed thirty men in less than four hours, and now I can't be arsed to fight for my life, down that answer your question?"

Silas smiled sadly.

"We're not too different you and I, you know."

"How come?" asked Turkish as he lit a cigarette and offered another to the ex-monk, who waved it away.

"We both have deserted who we were and have assumed names we know are not of us. We're both seen as mere killing machines, devoid of humanity. Look at those two lustful sinners inside, I don't think they're even pausing to wonder what have become of you."

Turkish looked at Bond and Natalya as they made out.

"You're right, those Randy Bastards!"

"I'll make you an offer." said Silas, "I'll let you go."

"Much obliged, Brother Silas."

"That goes for you, and you only."

"And you'll still kill them?"

"Yes." said Silas coldly.

After a beat, Turkish said, "Why just me?"

"I have walked miles in your shoes and do not see you as irredeemable, but they are sinners, and they will be judged. I hope you accept."

"Sorry, but no. I won't allow you to kill them." said Turkish as he reached for his back pocket in discretion.

"I though you said you were too tired to go on."

"Oh, that was before this little stimulating conversation."

"You are unarmed."

"That never stops a _real_ killer."

With amazing speed, Turkish sprang from his seat and hurled a knife he had taken out of his pocket at Silas's hand as he reached for the gun.

Silas didn't shout, but looked with angry eyes at Turkish as he jumped forward to reach for the gun.

Silas grabbed the smaller man by the throat and raised him with one hand with daunting strength and started to choke him.

Turkish instinctively kicked him in the crotch which made the albino let go then double over in pain, he then grabbed him by the jaw and snapped his neck with his bare hands.

Turkish picked up the gun and shot the already dead Silas in the head, then walked into the other room as Bond and Natalya were suddenly alerted.

"What happened?" asked Natalya.

"A crouching gunman was about to get the drop on you. I took care of him, are you done?"

"Yes."

"We must get out." said Bond.

"I'm right behind you, chief." scoffed Turkish.

**_----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

_Crawley, West Sussex_

_"You have to help him," said Mina, "He's back in London and he needs your help."_

"Doctor, are you alright?"

Jekyll slowly opened his eyes, Max Zorba was crouched next to him.

"What happened?" asked Jekyll as his eyes were adjusting to the light.

"You were unconscious for an hour and a half." said Zorba as he helped Jekyll up, "We won."

"Come again?"

"The Agents surrendered. We seized their weapons. We won."

Jekyll looked to his side and saw Caine Marko wrapped with layers of ropes, chains and padlocks. He was desperately twisting trying to gather enough momentum to brake out of his bonds to no avail.

"It's all a little fuzzy," said Jekyll, "I did that?"

"No, you knocked him out, we tied him."

Jekyll looked all around him, he couldn't believe they had won. One of Zorba's men brought him some clothes instead of his that had shredded and were on the verge of revealing his privates to everyone.

Jekyll got changed then headed out with Zorba, it was the late hours of the night, and the Agents had indeed surrendered. The surrounding pastures were covered with corpses of men, Gangsters and Agents alike. The League helicopter was shot down and it was crashed by the facility after it was hit with one of Zorba's missiles.

He got changed while Zorba asked, "You're supposed to head to Gatwick Airport, right?"

"That's the plan."

The dream that Jekyll had prior to waking up was odd, he'd dreamed about Mina practically every night for the last hundred and two years, but it was never lucid like this.

He looked at Gatwick Airport which was visible on the horizon, then made his mind.

"No."

"Pardon?"

"I need to get to London."

Zorba looked Jekyll in the eyes and smiled for once, "Of course, do you need any of my men?"

"No, just a car."

He soon was in the possession of one of Zorba's cars, and he was heading towards London breaking every speed limit there was.

**_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

**L.H.Q.**

Dorian fell into his couch, having been struck back by Skinner, he kicked out and charged back at Skinner, their swords clashed like the very things those who wielded them stood for.

Skinner tried to cut Dorian's throat out, but the latter ducked out of the way, turned around and sliced Skinner in the back.

"What were you planning on doing? You've already tried blowing my head up and that didn't work. Why do you think you'd achieve what Logan didn't?"

Skinner ignored the sharp pain in his back and stood up, holding his sword up high, "Shut up and fight!"

Skinner went to attack, and was able to inflect great damage to Dorian before he was punched back, by the time his eyes fell back on Dorian, he had already recovered.

The fight continued with each fighting with utter and wholly ruthless aggression, wanting to inflict as much damage as possible, but they were both swordsmen of great caliber, and they rarely allowed an opening long enough for the opponent to desecrate their flesh.

Suddenly, Skinner lost his grip, allowing Dorian to knock his sword away, then promptly ran his sword through Skinner's stomach till it stuck out of his back.

"Did you honestly not expect that?" asked Dorian, his arrogance reaching new heights.

"You vain prick," Skinner hissed through gritted teeth and a knowing smile, "I was COUNTING ON IT!"

Dorian was feeling suddenly insecure, he looked upon Skinner's confident grin and stepped back. Something was wrong, something was… different.

"Son of a whore, What did you do!"

"Do you like my jacket?" asked Skinner as he pulled Dorian's sword out of his own gut, then sliced at Dorian's flank, jamming it sideways then pulling the sword out causing a deep and wide wound in his abdomen.

Dorian staggered back, something was wrong alright; the wound in his side hurt like the dickens and what was worse is that seconds passed and it showed no signs of healing.

"I'm… I'm…."

"A mortal." said Skinner.

Both then collapsed, their wounds taking their tool, neither could go on.

"How did you do it?" asked Dorian who was feeling a variety of emotions, fear, confusion, despair, vulnerability, rage.

Skinner unbuttoned his jacket and took a folded piece of cloth out the lining, it was the portrait of Dorian Gray, it showed him as young as he was right now, and it had a rip right through it caused by Dorian's own sword.

"What! Sofie… why did she…?"

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

"What do you mean?"

"That night at the Farraday club. We'd arranged it all, ruined you car, took your picture, arranged for the curtain fall, we'd even caused the traffic jam."

"You bastards!" cursed Dorian, "You treacherous, sneaky, conniving bastards!"

Skinner laughed hurtfully, spitting out some blood as he did.

"Yes we were, we had to. Believe me, even if the League is rebuilt tomorrow and this was all for nothing, I'd die happy after seeing that look on your face."

"Shit." cursed Dorian as he felt a sudden coldness started to creep up on him.

"You're right about one thing, the league will be rebuilt. Professor Moriarty used to say you can't kill the future, and he was right. You can knock us down, kill us, blow us up. But the League will eventually resurface."

"Maybe, but I have two solaces," said Skinner as he closed his eyes, "One, there will always be some of us who will stand up to your lot. And Two, neither of us will ever see that happen."

Dorian looked down at his wound and chuckled as he could clearly see some of his innards.

"Mr. Skinner," said Dorian as he straitened his tie, "I'm ready for my coup de grâce."

"Good."

Skinner got up, picked up the sword and stood by Dorian who closed his eyes as if though he was praying.

Skinner swung the word one final time, and then it was all over.

**One Hour Later…**

Jekyll hit the brakes as he reached L.H.Q., everything was silent, the sun was rising, as a matter of fact the only odd thing around was a car that's been smashed as if something was dropped on it vertically from a considerable height.

Jekyll armed himself with a shotgun and entered, once again he was met by solitude, there was no one there. He advanced to an elevator and hit a button that would lead him to the tenth floor.

He was getting anxious as the elevator made it's trip, the roof of the elevator was shattered and there was some blood as well.

Finally, Jekyll came bursting in through the wooden doors of Dorian's office, and as he entered, he saw signs if a ferocious struggle, there was blood everywhere, and the canvas of Dorian's painting was laying on the floor with a rip in the middle of it.

The light from the exposed panel in the wall fell upon the bodies of Skinner who held a sword in his hand and Dorian, who was throat was cut open and almost decapitated.

"Oh, Skinner!"

Jekyll crouched next to his old friend who slowly opened his eyes.

"Jekyll…" said Skinner in a near whisper, his voice raspy as he lay dying.

"Yes, it's me."

"I did what I had to do…. and sought it through without exemption. Did we..?"

"We beat them in Crawley, I don't know about Greenwich or East London."

"You're supposed… be on your way out of the country by now."

"I had to come back for you."

"That wasn't the plan."

"Are you saying you wouldn't have done it for me?"

"You're right…I would have. Now get out… while I die."

"You're not dying, Skinner. I'll get you to a hospital." said Jekyll as he grabbed Skinner's arm.

"No," said Skinner as he waved him off, "I won't make it. I must stay here."

"What about your vision, what about us standing above a heap of rubble that used to be the League?" asked Jekyll with tears in his eyes.

"What I plan and what happens isn't exactly similar, really, I'm surprised we got this far by following _my_ lead."

There was a moment of silence.

"Jekyll," said Skinner with a smirk, "I can see Quatermain... He looks pissed!"

"I'm sure he is." said Jekyll with a heartfelt chuckle, amused at how Skinner was being his humorous self to the very end.

"This dieing thing, Jekyll... There's nothing like it, you should try it one day."

"Dieing? Well, that's the last thing I'd do."

"Bloody Hell!" said Skinner with a painful chuckle, "You cracked a joke, is the Halley comet passing again?"

"Skinner, I just want to tell you..."

"Don't fret, let's not make this a sad goodbye. Time for you to go, the bombs are going to go off soon."

Jekyll wished he could talk him out of it, but knew Skinner was always a stubborn Ass. So he stood up and extended his hand for a final handshake.

"So long, Skinner."

Skinner grabbed his hand and shook it.

"I'll catch you on the flip side, Jekyll."

**_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

Jekyll tossed the shotgun on the sidewalk, for he had no more use for it. He got into the car and inserted the key into the ignition, rotated the key so the engine would start.

Jekyll drove away from the building, as soon as he was a hundred meters away, the plastic explosives were set off after Skinner pressed the detonator. A series of explosions occurred, and within a minute the windowless building came down, ending a reign of dominance and oppression that the League had always upheld.

Jekyll didn't even bother to look in the rearview mirror to see the exclamation point that marked the end of the Charge of the Shadow Brigade. He simply pressed the radio button as he headed on to Heathrow Airport, and listened to the DJ as he spoke,

"_….It's the start of another beautiful Sunday in London. I'd go out for a picnic with the love if I were you, or stay in and look out the window and enjoy the day. And now, here is one of me all time favorites. The End by The Doors…_"

**_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

**"This is the End, you took a Friend… This is the End, my only Friend, the End.**

**Of all elaborate plans, the End… Of everything that stand's, the End.**

**No secret or surprise, the End… I'll never look into your eyes... Again."**

_**----- The End, The Doors**_

_**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_


	24. Epilogue

**Nine Days Later...**

_Dublin, Ireland_

Dr. Henry Jekyll got out of the cab and looked at what was his home for recent years, the O'Neil pub in Midtown Dublin. After being away for around two and a half months, he sure was glad to be back.

He made his way in, and stood in the doorway to bask in the comfort of the familiarity of the whole situation, the smell of ale, the clinking of glasses, and the sound of a song being played on the Jukebox.

The first man who saw him saw Rick the bartender who yelled above the noise of the bar in his Irish brogue, saying,

"Jesus H., its Jack Harding!"

"Welcome back, Jackie Boy!" said one of the patrons as he saw the returning Englishman.

"I challenge you to a drinking Game!" said another.

"You look grand!" said another.

Smiling, Jekyll accepted all greeting and pleasantries, till Rick rescued him by taking him by the shoulder and saying, "Alright, let's give Jack his Oxygen.", then more privately, "Your friends have been waiting for you."

"Where are they?" asked Jekyll.

"They've been staying at a hotel a few blocks away; I'll give them a ring if you like."

"Thanks, Rick. Do you mind if we stay in the bar after closing hours?"

"Yeah, alright. Just make sure to close up and not make much of a mess."

_**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

Bond, Natalya, Logan and Turkish arrived at closing time and sat in the empty bar waiting.

"Hi." greeted Jekyll with a tired smile as he emerged from the back door.

"It's good to see you're alright." said Natalya as she gave him a hug.

"Likewise, Natty. I trust you gave that glorified calculator as arse-kicking?"

"She certainly did." said Bond as he shook hands with Jekyll.

"Commander, good to see you too." said Jekyll and moved on.

"Turkish."

"Doctor." replied Turkish with a slight nod.

"Logan, I hope you found out what you wanted."

"I did." said Logan.

Jekyll looked around again.

"Where's Judas?" he asked.

"We don't think he made it." said Bond.

"I see."

Jekyll went to the Jukebox and hit a button, and a rock ballad began playing.

"What about Skinner?" asked Natalya.

"Skinner... died fighting, he killed Gray and blew up the building."

They were al stunned to hear the news even though they expected it.

"So, what does that mean in the big picture?" asked Natalya.

"We won," said Jekyll, "Dorian Gray is dead, as are most of League Operative and Agents. FATE and the All Seeing Eye have been destroyed."

"Why are we so sure Sutler won't start a new League?" asked Turkish.

"Even if he did, it won't be as powerful as the last one. Dorian Gray was the real brains behind the whole operation. And with the Eye gone, recruiting the desired talent will be most difficult." said Bond.

"Beers?" asked Jekyll as he got behind the bar.

"I'll have one."

"Sure."

"Me too."

"I don't drink." said Turkish.

"Never fear, we've got non-alcoholic beer!" said Jekyll in rhyme as he placed the beers on the counter.

"Yeah, Alright."

Five beers were opened and were about to be consumed.

"I'd like to propose a toast," said Logan as he raised his bottle, "to Skinner."

"Here's to McGregor." said Natalya.

"Here's to Judas." said Bond.

Jekyll seemed absent minded as he looked into space and smiled, then looked back at what remained of the Shadow Brigade, and said,

"Here's to Mina, love of my life, my light, my sweet. And Tom and Becky, Alan, Nemo and his Crew. Here is to Dorian, despite him being an Arsehole. Here's to Campion Bond despite him being a backstabber, no offense James. And here's to us, because we've earned it. Cheers."

Five bears were raised and consumed as the song played in the background,

_**'We watched our friends grow up together, and we saw them as they fell,**_

**_Some of them fell into Heaven, Some of them fell into Hell.'_**

**_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

Jekyll woke at nine in the morning as he heard a commotion from the outside of his apartment door, two young voices were arguing.

"Kitty, just go in and take a peak." said an American accented male.

"I won't, its breaking and entering, Pete!" said an American accented girl.

Jekyll opened the door and saw two young people; the male was very well built and tall, standing at around six feet-nine inches, while the girl was skinny and five feet tall.

"Oh," said the young man in surprise, "We didn't mean to.."

"What do you want?"

"Doctor McCoy sent us." said the girl.

"Who?"

"We're all in the bar downstairs, with Logan and the others."

"Why?"

"It might be better if you just met us downstairs." said the young man as they turned to leave.

Jekyll freshened up and went downstairs to investigate what was going on.

It was a Sunday morning and thus the pub was closed, and in it were gathered the oddest group of people you could ever imagine.

Aside from Turkish, Bond, Natalya and Logan, there was a strapping man covered in Blue fur who wore a suit, there was also a man with blue skin and a tail, the two youngsters that were at Jekyll's door and the winged handsome man that Jekyll and Skinner met when they went to recruit Logan.

"Doctor Jekyll," said the man covered in blue fur with an American accent with the most articulate manner, "It's great to finally meat you."

"What's going on?"

"First let me start with introductions, I am Doctor Hank McCoy codenamed Beast; former American Secretary of mutant affairs and current headmaster of Xavier's School for gifted youngsters."

Dr. McCoy went to introduce the others, pointing at the tall strapping young man, "This is Peter Rasputin, codenamed Colossus."

"This is Kitty Pryde, also called Shadowcat." he said as he pointed at the girl.

"This is Kurt Wagner, a.k.a. Nightcrawler." he said as he pointed at the blue man with a tail, who smiled and nodded in recognition.

"And of course Warren Worthington the Third who you have already met, also known as Archangel." said McCoy as he stood next to the winged man.

"It's a pleasure." said Jekyll.

"I was contacted by Wolverine before your group carried out your mission; he sounded distressed so we tried to track him down. Only when we reached London you all had already left and we had to wait till he contacted us a few days ago. We came to make sure Logan was alright, and then we were told of your cause and your mission. I must say I find you all very courageous to do what you did."

"Thank you, but that's not all is it?"

"Of course not, Dr Jekyll."

The last line was not uttered by Dr McCoy, but by a newcomer, an elderly woman with the air of authority, flanked by Mr. Tanner and Miss Moneypenny, she extended her hand in a handshake.

"I'm M, director-"

"I know what M means." said Jekyll abruptly, "Would anyone like to stop introducing themselves and actually tell me why we're here?"

"We're here, Dr. Jekyll, because you've brought us here. You and the late Mr. Skinner did what everyone wanted by no one was willing to do for decades. And now we want to see the job finished."

"What do you mean?"

"The League isn't just a building on Stockwell Street and some skilled Operatives. The League is a massive organization with operations and branches all over the world. What you did was crush the dragon's head, now we need to burn what remains so that it cannot be resurrected, we have to stay the course and continue operations against what's left of the league."

"What we're suggesting, Dr. Jekyll," started Dr. McCoy, "Is for us and some others to form a new Anti-League, only this time we'll be properly funded, backed by several organizations, and properly staffed."

"I understand."

"What we want from you, Dr. Jekyll, is to stay with the group and serve as one of the top ranking officers."

Tanner then arrived, accompanied by an attractive brunette woman and a young man of eighteen wearing glasses.

"Here are some others who are interested in joining the operation, I give you Lady Lara Croft and Mr. Harry Potter." said M.

Jekyll ignored the newcomers and turned to his comrades.

"Did you all agree too this?" he asked.

They were silent, only Turkish answered, "I didn't."

"Smart move, Turkish. I won't either."

"Doc, look..." started Logan before he was interrupted.

"I can't believe I just lost blood and my best friend to destroy the league only for it to be revamped a week later."

"It won't be like that, we're not going to do anything except eliminate what's left of the league."

"That's how it starts. Then next thing you know it will be beginning once again, No, I'll have no part of it."

"Alright." said M, then turned to the rest and said,

"As for the rest of you, we will be returning to London tomorrow morning, once were there you will b e debriefed and you will meet the remaining members."

**_---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

Back at the hotel, Natalya walked into Turkish's room; he was packing a bag and giving the door his back when she walked in.

"Hi." she said.

"Hi." he answered without turning around.

"Turkish, I have something to tell."

"Okay." he said apathetically.

"Me and James, we're..."

"You're back together, I know." said Turkish indifferently.

"How did you know?"

"I have a strange talent for walking in on you as you're kissing, I saw you by the Eye."

"Oh." said Natalya with a slight blush, "Turkish, I should explain myself. If it were another time and place, and-"

"Natalya, dear." said Turkish as he turned around, "You don't need to explain yourself, you're a grown woman and you care for Bond, as he does you. I'm not entitled to an explanation, I don't want an explanation, and I wish you both well, both on the field and in the heart."

Natalya was relieved and slightly surprised by his reaction.

"Then why aren't you joining us?"

"Well, I killed nine MI6 Agents throughout the years, it feels rude to accept the invitation. Also, I really need a break with no Greek arms dealers, mutants and people who remember the first Olympics. You go, save the world, send me a post card. I'll be fine."

"Well. I had to try." she said then kept watching as he continued to pack.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"Home."

" London?"

"Angora... in Turkey."

"I know where Angora is, thank you."

She was silent as she looked for something to say to justify her presence in his room.

"Will you still kill?"

"I have to make a living, don't I?"

His bluntness was an indication for her to live so she turned around as she said goodbye and opened the door.

"Haroon." he said quietly.

"What did you say?" she asked as she stepped back into the room.

"Haroon Ali Agca, that is my name, in case you're still wondering."

"Thank you."

**_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_**

_**Dr. Jekyll** stayed in Dublin and started to work for free in a charity clinic, he has refused all offers to put his skills into Covert Military Work. He continues to live on with no sign of aging._

_**Sofie Fatale** was caught by MI5 and freed in exchange of her cooperation and she returned to Japan where she once again delved into Organized Crime._

_**Logan, Dr. McCoy and Bond** shared leadership of the newly formed Anti-League which traveled the world fighting League affiliates and freeing multitudes of captured mutants locked in concentration camps._

_Haroon Ali Agca (a.k.a. **Turkish**) returned to Angora, Turkey, where he reunited with and married an old childhood friend, he never killed anyone after that. His wife remains oblivious to her husband's criminal past._

_**Caine Marko** managed to escape Zorba's men. Caine Marko and **Ethan Rayne** remain at Large._

_**Natalya **worked with the New League and agreed to a marriage proposal from Bond, but met her end when she received an Explosive package meant for her fiancé._

_**Adam Sutler** went on to become the undersecretary of defense and established the Norsefire Fascist Party which eventually rose to power and ruled England with an iron fist. He did manage to build a mass-surveillance system though it wasn't as terrible as what FATE would have been like._


	25. Appendix A: Annotations

**Chapter 1 (Prelude):**

_Charge of the Shadow Brigade: _The title which was originally 'The Shadow Vendetta' then 'The Shadow Mutiny' before becoming 'Charge of the Shadow Brigade' refers to the Charge of the _Light _Brigade; a disastrous cavalry charge led by Lord Cardigan during the Battle of Balaclava on October 25, 1854 in the Crimean War. It is best remembered as the subject of a famous poem entitled The Charge of the Light Brigade by Lord Tennyson.

**Chapter 2 (Prologue): **

_Dr. Sebastian Cain: _The antagonist of the 2000 Sci-Fi Horror Thriller: Hollow Man, which was written by Gary Scott Thompson and Andrew W. Marlowe and Directed by Paul Verhoeven. The Character was portrayed by American Actor Kevin Bacon.

_Big Brother: _The figurehead of the ruling party in the dystopian fiction novel '1984' by George Orwell.

_James Bond: _James Bond needn't any introduction, he is the protagonist of the series of books by English spy turned novelist Ian Fleming, as well as a long running series of movie, the character here is the Pierce Brosnan incarnation.

**Chapter 3 (Odd Pints and one Fat Bastards):**

_Campion Bond: _The creation of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neil in the 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' graphic novel series. The supposed father of Andrew Bond, father of James Bond.

_Fat Bastard: _A character created and portrayed by comedian Mike Myers in the second and third installments of the Austin Powers Series.

_Michael McGregor: _The "real" name of Fat Bastard is entirely my creation. Created from the given first name of Mike Myers and his mother's maiden name.

**Chapter 4 (Brick Soldiers):**

_Logan: _The creation of comic writers Len Wein, John Romita, Sr. and Herb Trimpe. The most iconic member of the Marvel Comic series X-Men. The name James Howlett is the characters birth name within the Marvel Universe. The character used here is from series the movie adaptations, where he is portrayed by Australian Actor Hugh Jackman.

_Charlton Heston: _An American veteran of the silver screen and spokesman to the American National Rifles Association.

_Nightcrawler: _Skinner notes seeing a mutant with blue skin and a tail, the character appears in the final chapter. It is the character from the 2003 movie 'X2', directed by Brian Singer, an adaptation of the Marvel Comic X-Men, originally created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum. He is portrayed on film by British Actor Ian Cumming.

_Angel: _Skinner and Jekyll encounter a mutant who looks like an Angel, he is Warren Worthington III, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and introduced in the very first issue of Marvel Comics' X-Men. The version here is from the 2006 movie 'X-Men: The Last Stand', where he is portrayed by Ben Foster.

_Turkish: _Turkish is an original character, partially based on real life apolitical Turkish Assassin Mehmet Ali Agca and his background stems from the Batman mythology.

**Chapter 5 (The League of Injustice):**

_Natalya Fyodorovna Simonova: _Bond Girl, appearing in the 1995 in the James Bond film GoldenEye, played by Swedish-Polish actress Izabella Scorupco.

_Sofie Fatale: _A minor villain in 2003 Quentin Tarantino film, Kill Bill Volume 1. . She is played by actress Julie Dreyfus.

_Elle Driver: _Codenamed 'Californai Mountain Snake', a villain in the Kill Bill films by Quentin Tarantino, played by Darryl Hannah.

_Miguel Bain: _The villain in the 1995 film 'Assassins', directed by Richard Donner and written by Brian Helgeland and the Watchowski Brothers. He was portrayed by spanish actor Antonio Banderas.

_Karl Ruprecht Kroenen: _The creation of Mike Mignola, a character in the Hellboy comics, later portrayed on film in the 2004 adaptation by Ladislav Beran.

_Ethan Rayne: _A recurring character on American cult TV series; 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', created by Joss Wheadon. Portrayed by Robin Sachs.

_Mr. Kevin Trick:_ A recurring character on American cult TV series; 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', created by Joss Wheadon. While he was originally only known as Mr. Trick, I gave him the name Kevin simply cause he looks like one Played by K. Todd Freeman.

_Sheldon Jeffrey Sands: _A character from 2003 film 'Once Upon a Time in Mexico' by Robert Rodriguez. He was played by Johnny Depp.

_All Seeing Eye: _An expression usually referring to the watchful eye of God. Also a symbol of the Great Architect, the title given to God in Freemasonry. Freemasonry is vaguely connected to the League in both comics and film.

_Max Zorba: _Max Zorba is intended as a relative of Alexis Zorba of Nikos Kazantzakis' 1952 novel; Zorba the Greek.

_Geldmachers SDV assault rifles, Petri Revolvers and Hampton Carbine Sniper Rifles: _They are fictional brands of fire arms from the 'The Operative: No One Lives Forever' video game.

**Chapter 6 (The Road to the Shadow Mutiny):**

_Paulo Ceniza:_ Intended to be the third twin of the Ceniza brothers from the 1999 Film 'The Ninth Gate', directed by Roman Polanski. The twins were Pablo and Pedro, portrayed by José Lَpez Rodero.

**Chapter 7 (Starter):**

_Alestir Crowley: _Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an occultist, Freemason, prolific writer, mystic, hedonist, and sexual revolutionary.

_Grigori Rasputin:_ Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (Russian: Григо́рий Ефи́мович Распу́тин) (January 22 1869–December 29 O.S. December 16 1916) was a Russian mystic with an influence in the later days of Russia's Romanov dynasty. Rasputin played an important role in the lives of the Tsar Nicholas II, his wife the Tsarina Alexandra, and their only son the Tsarevich Alexei, who suffered from haemophilia.

_Albert Wheeler: _Not a fictional character, but a real person who taught me an accounting course in college. His resemblance to Mike Myers is true.

**Chapter 9 (Martyr):**

_Judas Kemp: _Based upon a very real friend of mine, Jude Kemp, an Australian bloke of the description given in the story, I had never seen him in daylight, ergo, I saw it reasonable to turn him into a vampire.

_Judas Iscariot: _A disciple of Jesus Christ and his eventual betrayer. An archetype of betrayal in western culture.

_Kakistos: _A one time villain on American cult TV series 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. Played by Jeremy Roberts.

**Chapter10 (Panic Under the Streets of London):**

_Panic Under the Streets of London:_ The title of this Chapter is from The song Panicby the Smiths.

.-. Dorian, Jekyll and Skinner make references to the year 1904 when the League betrayed them. The entire accounts of which are detailed in my other story titled 'War of the World: Companion to 'COTSB'.

**Chapter 12 (lex talionis):**

_Reform Club:_ The Reform Club was originally a private gentlemen's club situated on the south side of Pall Mall (at number 104), in central London. It has admitted ladies since 1981. In 1977 its subscriptions were amongst the highest in London. It is used fictionally in Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days; the protagonist, Phileas Fogg, is a member of the Reform Club who sets out to circumnavigate the world on a wager from his fellow members, beginning and ending at the club. The old guy is telling an uninterested Bain the story of the Wager.

_lex talionis:_ A latin phrase literally translated as The Law of Retaliation, used most commonly to refer to the old testament principal of An Eye for an Eye.

_Ferreyman: _The ferryman in question in Charon of Greek mythology, who would ferry the dead across the river Acheron into the Underworld. Which spawned the tradition of placing two coins on the closed eye lids of the recently departed for Charon to collect, otherwise the deceased's spirit would wander the land on the living forever, as a ghost.

_The Monk, The Mutant, The Reaper: _Are Silas, Caine Marko/Juggernaut and Jared Nomak, respectively. They all make their appearances as League Operatives in that order.

_William Rookwood: _A minor character from the 2006 movie V for Vendetta, an intelligence officer who once worked for Peter Creedy, a main antagonist.

**Chapter 13 (Voyerisim and Vandelisim):**

_Silas: _A character from the controversial (and quit lame if you ask me) religious novel; The Da Vinci Code by Dan Bown

_Farraday Club: _It is entirely of make concoction, the Madame Farraday in question is the character played by Glenn Close in the 1996 movie Mary Reilly which is adapted from the novel by Valerie Martin. The movie is a retelling of the Jekyll + Hyde story.

_Father McKenzie: _Is from the song Eleanor Rigby by the Beatles.

_Frank 'Chas' Chandler: _A long running character from the DC/Vertigo comic book series; John Constantine: Hellblazer. Created in 1987 by Jamie Delano.

_OOXX: _I am told that means hugs and kisses.

_FATE: _Originally the mass-surveilance supercomputer in the DC/Vertigo Graphic Novel 'V for Vendetta' by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. I am using the movie version of 'V…' but I've seen fit to incorporate this aspect as well.

**Chapter 14 (The Quiet Preceding the Storm):**

_Ra's Al Ghul: _Arabic for 'The Demon's Head', is the name of Batman's mentor in the 2005 film 'Batman Begins', played by Liam Neeson. The character was originally created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams an introduced in 1971 into the pages of DC comic's Batman.

_The League of Shadows:_ Originally 'The League of Assassins' in the Batman comics, made into Shadows for the 2005 film Adaptation. 'The League of Shadows' was at one point the title of this story.

**Chapter 16 (Dues Ex Machina):**

_Dues Ex Machina: _The phrase is a theatrical term referring to sudden revelations in the plot of a story and almost unexpected stroke-of-luck solutions. It is latin for 'God from the Machine'.

_Five Foot Girl: _The girl in question is Kitty Prude a.k.a. Shadowcat as played by Ellen Page in the 2006 film 'X-Men: The Last Stand'. Created for the Marvel comics series X-Men, by Chris Claremont and John Byrne.

_Adam Sutler: _Created by Alan Moore and David Lloyd for their DC/Vertigo comics graphic novel 'V for Vendetta', then named Adam Susan. Was played in the 2006 silver screen adaptation by John Hurt as Adam Sutler.

_Trevor Bruttenholm: _Created by Mike Mignola for his Dark Horse comic Book 'Hellboy' and played in the 2004 movie adaptation by John Hurt.

_Ambrose Bierce:_ Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842–1914?) was an American satirist, critic, poet, short story (horror) writer, editor, and journalist. Appearing in DC Comics's miniseries Stanley and His Monster, Bierce (or at least a character claiming to be Bierce) appears as a sardonic trenchcoat-clad adventurer into the supernatural, very similar to DC/Vertigo comics' John Constantine.

_Sâr Dubnotal:_ Erroneously referred to as Sar Dubonal. The creation of Norbert Sévestre. Appearing in the Sâr Dubnotal stories. Dubnotal, a hindu mystic of many superhuman abilities, was "instructed in the school of the brahmins and the most famous Hindu yogis." Dubnotal was the "Conquistador of the Invisible Ones," the "Napoleon of the Immaterial," "Great Psychagogue," the "grand spirit guide," a psychic investigator/occult detective.

_Dr. Sax:_ A character created by Jack Kerouac for his 1959 novel Doctor Sax. An occultist/exorcist based upon 'The Shadow' pulp hero and Beat Generation author 'William S. Borroughs'.

**Chapter 17 (Iscaiot):**

_Bill Tanner: _Bill Tanner is the Chief of Staff of MI6 in the fictional James Bond film and novel series. Created by Ian Fleming.

_Jane Moneypenny: _M's secretary and one of James Bond's multitudes of female admirers. Created by Ian Fleming and given the first name Jane in Samantha Weinberg in 'The Moneypenny Diaries' trilogy of novels.

_Barbara Mawdsley: _Dame Judi Dench's version of M's real name, given by recent Bond novelist Raymond Benson.

_Man of Wealth and Taste: _In The Rolling Stones' iconic song 'Sympathy for the Devil', Satan introduced himself by saying, "Please allow me to introduce myself, I'm a man of wealth and taste."

**Chapter 18 (Shadow Boxing):**

_Jack Wade: _007's CIA contact in the James Bond films: GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies. Wade, played by Joe Don Baker.

_Asgard: _In norse myth, Asgard is the realm of the Gods' dwelling, which is appropriate given in houses 'The All Seeing Eye'.

_Greenwich: _There is actually a ley line passing through Greenwich. However, there isn't any in Crawley.

_The Order of Ancient Mysteries: _The creation of Neil Gaiman, appearing in the award wining DC/Vertigo comic book series 'The Sandman' in the very first issue.

**Chapter 19 (Ancient Mysteries):**

_John Constantine: _Was created by Alan Moore during his run on DC comics' 'Swamp Thing', then was spun-off into his own series published by DC/Vertigo, entitled 'John Constantine: Hellblazer'.

_Roderick Burgess: _The creation of Neil Gaiman, appearing in the award wining DC/Vertigo comic book series 'The Sandman' in the very first issue.

_Tears and Blood: _In greek myth, the souls of the dead trapped in the underworld needed t consume the tears of the living to be able to talk.

_Lazarus: _Not the New Testament Parable, but from the DC comics' Batman mythos, it is the mysterious substance that rejuvenates the ill and dying and even the deceased. It is most commonly used by Ra's Al Ghul, it has sustained him for centuries.

**Chapter 20 (Unto the Breach):**

_Tyler Durden: _A main character from the 1999 movie 'fight club' where he was portrayed by Brad Pitt, the movie was based upon the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk.

_Hank: _The character played by Kelsey Gremmer in the 2006 film 'X-Men: The Last Stand', originally created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, introduced in the very first issue of Marvel Comics' X-Men.

_Prayer to St. Michael: _The Prayer to Saint Michael is a Christian prayer addressed to Michael the archangel. It is used most prevalently among Catholics, especially one who are about to embark into battle. The prayer was composed by Pope Leo XIII at the end of the 19th century; he made it part of a set of prayers to be recited on behalf of the Church at the end of Low Mass (liturgy).

**Chapter 21 (The Shadow Mutiny Commences):**

_Jared Nomak:_ The main villain for the 2002 film Blade II, adapted from the Marvel Comics series. He is portrayed by actor Luke Goss.

**Chapter 22 (The Shadow Mutiny Continues):**

_The Archivist: _Also known as 'Files & Records', appearing once in season three of American cult TV series; Angel. An employee of the villainous 'Wolfram & Hart' law firm. Played by Stephanie Courtney.

_Divine Comedy: _Elle Driver's description of the ninth's circle of hell comes from Dante Alligheri's epic -And quit dense- poem; The Devine Comedy.

_Midjai: _The Midjai are the Egyptian guardians of Imhotep's tomb in the Mummy movies.

_Worthington Pharmaceuticals:_ The corporation that develops the mutant cure in the 2006 film 'X-Men: The Last Stand'.

**Chapter 23 (The Shadow Mutiny Concludes):**

_Gatwick: _There really is a Gatwick airport in Crawley.

_"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.": _Skinner quotes a line in the play The Mourning Bride, by William Congreve, an English author of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries

_"I did what I had to do…. and sought it through without exemption.": _Skinner here is living out the role of the dieing man from Frank Sinatra's iconic 1969 song; 'My Way'.

**24 (Epilogue):**

_Irish Rock Ballad: _The song being played on the Jukebox is Irish Band: The Pogue's 'Rainy Night in Soho'.

_Colossus:_ A character from the 2006 film 'X-Men: The Last Stand', played by Daniel Cudmore. Originally created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum, and introduced in into the pages of Marvel Comics' X-Men.

_Lara Crof_t Lara Croft is a British video game character, and the Amazonian heroine of the Tomb Raider series of video games, movies and comic books. In the two movies, she is portrayed by Angelina Jolie.

_Harry Potter:_ Just like James Bond, Harry Potter needn't be introduced, he is the protagonist of the series of book by J.K. Rowling.

_Haroon Ali Agca_: Turkish's real name is based upon 'Mehmet Ali Agca', the would be Turkish Assassin of Pope John Paul the Second.

_Norsefire: _Norsefire is the ultraconservative fascist ruling party in the Alan Moore & David Lloyd DC/Vertigo graphic novel 'V for Vendetta', and the subsequent 2006 film adaptation by James McTeigue and the Watchwoski Brothers.

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thanks goes out to all of you who have read and reviewed, for those who have simply read, I say 'Allah Y'samhak', look it up if you like. Well then, cherio.

**-FIN-**

By the way, Skinner didn't really die. Kidding, he's as dead as humanity's conscience.

**-FIN-**

(for real)


	26. Chapter 26

**I'm seriously contemplating doing a sequel to this, it won't be a sequel in term of continuity, but rather in themes. A few characters from here will be there as well, with the same basic plot (i.e. The League has sold out and former Agents decide to take matters into their own hands), but the events will be very different. Tell me if you're interested in reading it.**


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